Afghanistan's former Vice President Amrullah Saleh has said that the National Resistance Front is in contact with "everyone that matters in the anti-Taliban camp" both inside and outside the country, adding that the force will resist until the aim of "pluralistic Afghanistan" is achieved.
"We are in contact with everyone that matters in the anti-Taliban camp both inside and outside Afghanistan. Of course, there are some who aren't willing to fight. We respect their choice. But no Afghan with dignity is ready to join the Taliban regime," Saleh said in an interview with Foreign Policy.
He added: "We fight for a pluralistic Afghanistan. We want elections. We want the will of the people to matter and determine the course of the country. We will resist until our aim is achieved. The Taliban have indeed grabbed power, but this wasn't an immediate military victory, it involved a covert geopolitical scheme as well."
The former Vice President also said that the Taliban do not have the support of the Afghan people.
"The forceful grab of power by the Taliban is an extension of a vicious cycle. It isn't a matter of celebration for any part of Afghan society except for the Taliban as a group and Pakistan as their patron. No one welcomed them in Kabul. This power grab has created deep internal wounds; society feels insulted and marginalized. Politically, this is a shaky setup. It is facing resistance. The resistance will gain strength. We don't see any meaningful window for a peace process at this stage," Saleh said, according to Foreign Policy.
Asked about whether the NRF has the support of the Afghan people, he said: "I am not escaping from my responsibilities. I am not scapegoating others. The Afghan people have the right to be angry, frustrated, and confused. The only way to measure the popularity of any group or person is with elections, real elections."
Speaking about leaving Kabul for the Panjshir Valley, later leaving for Tajikistan, Saleh said: "I left Kabul on August 15, 2021. I wasn't able to connect with leaders of the security sector and decided to go to the valley, where we created the resistance. I am satisfied that I didn't leave my country and escape."
After the fall of Kabul on August 15, NRF remained the only defiant group led by Ahamd Masoud, the son of late former Afghan guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who are fighting the Taliban.
( With inputs from ANI )
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