Officials from Tajikistan reportedly held secret meetings with Taliban officials from the Ansarullah group, as informed by the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs (SIGA), Asia Plus reports.
According to the institute, the first meeting took place in early November 2023 on Tajikistan's territory, where an Afghan delegation led by Rahmatullo Najib, the second deputy of the Taliban's secret police, arrived.
It is noted that Tajik officials approached the Taliban after Tajik security forces eliminated three members of the Ansarullah group in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) on September 5, 2023.
"At the meeting in November 2023, Tajik officials initially asked the Taliban to extradite members of Ansarullah to Tajikistan, most of whom are Tajik citizens. At some point, the Tajik government even provided the Taliban with a list of group members and their exact addresses in Afghanistan," the institute's publication states. In other words, the Tajik government may have wanted to disband and eliminate the group in this way.
SIGA reports, citing sources, that the extradition request was rejected by the Taliban as unfeasible. However, the Taliban offered to mediate peace talks between the Tajik government and the Ansarullah group.
The Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment on the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs' information about secret negotiations to Asia Plus.
The Jamaat Ansarullah group, also known as Ansarullah or Ansorullo, is recognized as a terrorist organization in Tajikistan. It operates in Afghanistan and consists mainly of Tajik nationals. The group was founded in 2006 by Tajik citizen Amriddin Tabarov, who was killed in Afghanistan in the summer of 2015.
Negotiations with Ansarullah
According to the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs, in early December 2023, the Tajik side, in a written response, agreed with the Taliban to form a delegation and sit down for negotiations with Ansarullah.
"The Taliban twice met with members of Ansarullah inside Afghanistan - once in December 2023 and once in January 2024. At these meetings, Ansarullah members initially categorically rejected the idea of reconciliation with the Tajik government, which they consider their sworn enemy that must be defeated," the SIGA article states.
But after attempts by the Taliban, members of the group stated that they would negotiate with the Tajik government but only after Tajikistan fulfills several preliminary conditions.
Ansarullah's Conditions
During the second meeting, members of the group provided the Taliban with a written list of their demands.
"Among the preliminary conditions was the requirement for the Tajik government to declare an Islamic government, for all Russian military personnel to leave the territory of Tajikistan, to release imprisoned Ansarullah members, and to establish madrasas (religious schools) in Tajikistan," the institute claims, citing sources.
Considering that such high demands are unrealistic, the Taliban continued intensive discussions, and the group agreed to demand only one preliminary condition for negotiations: "All Russian military personnel must leave the territory of Tajikistan."
The institute notes that delegations from the three sides understand that the "last demand" is impossible to fulfill. Negotiations continue, but so far, they have not led to any significant breakthrough.
Controlling the Border with Tajikistan
Afghan Taliban officials officially deny the presence of Ansarullah members from Tajikistan and other foreign jihadists on Afghan soil.
However, there is undeniable evidence of the presence of Ansarullah members in northern Afghanistan, which the Taliban also acknowledge in private conversations.
Afghan media report that this group controls certain sections of the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. However, the Taliban do not comment on these reports.
The newspaper "8 Sobh" writes that under the auspices of the Taliban, a large number of regional jihadists operate actively in Afghanistan with their families, including about 300 families of members of the terrorist groups "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan" and "Ansarullah." They reside in the northeast of the country, especially in the Afghan Badakhshan province.
According to the newspaper, well-informed sources in eastern Afghanistan also confirm that thousands of families of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants live under Taliban rule.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 23, 2024