After both Russia and Ukraine announced their acceptance of volunteer fighters in the war against each other, the Taliban government says there are no international militants in Afghanistan to join the war.
A spokesman for the Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, told RFE / RL that Afghanistan was not on the side of anyone in the war.
Hekmat Azami, deputy director of the Afghanistan Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, was asked about Mujahid’s remarks.
Mr Azami called on the Taliban to be more impartial: “The Taliban have so far taken no military action against the foreign fighters who were in Afghanistan, expelling them from Afghanistan and killing them.” The Taliban think that they will use them as a tool, but I think that the Taliban really should not allow them to leave Afghanistan against anyone, be it India, Russia, China or any other country. “Iran can be used against them. And if that happens then all these countries will support anti-Taliban groups.”
Ukraine and Russia announced on Thursday that they were ready to accept volunteer fighters in the fight against each other, but the Taliban reiterated their government’s neutrality.
The Ukrainian embassy in Islamabad said on Monday that many people in Pakistan had volunteered to go to Ukraine to fight against Russia.
A spokesman for the embassy told VOA that they had asked volunteer fighters to approach them.
Also yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he welcomed the participation of foreign fighters in the war against Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that about 16,000 militants from the Middle East are ready to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
Afghanistan has been a host of international fighters for 40 years of war and insecurity, and officials from the former regime led by Ashraf Ghani say more than 20 terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid
But a Taliban government spokesman says there are no international fighters in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid told the media that Afghanistan is neutral in the ongoing crisis due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Afghanistan has a commitment not to allow anyone from its territory to pose a threat to anyone else and there is no such thing in Afghanistan as belonging to other countries and becoming mercenaries,” Mujahid said. “Afghanistan is safe from these issues and the second thing is that none of our soil is supported.”
Guaranteeing non-threat from Afghanistan to other countries was an important part of the peace agreement between the Taliban and the United States. The Taliban, which claims victory in the fight against Islamic State, or ISIS, inside the country, has repeatedly said its government is neutral in international affairs.
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