15. März 2023

Bitte beachten Sie, dass die in dieser Anfragebeantwortung enthaltenen Übersetzungen aus dem Persischen unter Verwendung von technischen Übersetzungshilfen erstellt wurden. Es besteht daher ein erhöhtes Risiko, dass diese Arbeitsübersetzungen Ungenauigkeiten enthalten.

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

In den ACCORD derzeit zur Verfügung stehenden Quellen konnten im Rahmen der zeitlich begrenzten Recherche keine Informationen zur Lage von Personen mit unterstellter Verbindung zur „Massoud-Bewegung“ bei Rückkehr nach Afghanistan gefunden werden. Dies lässt nicht notwendigerweise Rückschlüsse auf die Lage dieser Personen zu.

Gesucht wurde mittels ecoi.net, Factiva und Google in den Sprachen Deutsch, Englisch und Persisch unter anderem nach einer Kombination aus folgenden Suchbegriffen: Massoud, Taliban, NRF, National Resistance Front, رفتار طالبان با حامیان مسعود , جبهه مقاومت ملی افغانستان, طالبان, Jamiat-e Islami, Massoud Foundation, return, returnee.

 

Die „Massoud-Bewegung“

In einer E-Mail-Nachricht vom 1. März 2023 erläutert der Afghanistan-Experte und Mitbegründer des Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), Thomas Ruttig, dass es keine „‚Massoud-Bewegung‘ als solche“ gebe, sondern die Anhänger Massouds auf verschiedene Gruppierungen verteilt seien. Die bekannteste bewaffnete Anti-Taliban-Gruppe Nationale Widerstandsfront (National Resistance Front, National Resistance Forces of Afghanistan, NRF), die in Afghanistan aktiv sei, gehöre dazu und werde von Ahmad Massoud geleitet. Ahmad Massoud sei der Sohn des im Jahr 2001 getöteten (Schahid[1]) Ahmad Schah Massoud (CBS News, 16. Mai 2022; Stimson, 20. Oktober 2022), nach dem die Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ bzw. „Schahid Massoud“ (Dari: Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud) benannt sei (Ruttig, 1. März 2023). Die Organisationsbasis der NRF gründe derzeit auf ethnischen Tadschik·innen und geografisch auf die Provinz Pandschschir. Die NRF sei jedoch bestrebt sich in beiden Bereichen zu öffnen (Stimson, 20. Oktober 2022). Laut einem Artikel der International Crisis Group (ICG) vom August 2022 sei die NRF in erster Linie in der Provinz Pandschschir und umliegenden Regionen im Norden Afghanistans aktiv, darunter in Teilen der Provinzen Baghlan, Parwan und Kapisa. Auch in Kabul verfüge sie über einige Kapazitäten (ICG, 12. August 2022).

Zudem leite laut Ruttig der ehemalige Botschafter und Onkel von Ahmad Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, die Ahmad-Schah-Massoud-Stiftung (EN: Massoud Foundation) (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023; Ruttig, 1. März 2023; siehe auch Massoud Foundation, ohne Datum; Aamaj News, 29. November 2021). Medienberichten zufolge sei Ahmad Wali Massoud Mitglied der NRF (Al Arabiya News, 19. Mai 2022; WION, 23. Mai 2022; TGP, 3. Jänner 2023). Die Stiftung unterhalte unter anderem ein Büro in Tadschikistan[2] (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023; Massoud Foundation USA, 12. Dezember 2022), das Medienberichten zufolge auch als Kontaktadresse der NRF diene (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023; EurasiaNet, 20. Dezember 2021). Einem Artikel von EurasiaNet vom Dezember 2021 zufolge führe die NRF die in der tadschikischen Hauptstadt Duschanbe eröffnete Niederlassung auf Druck der tadschikischen Behörden, die eine Konfrontation mit den Taliban vermeiden wolle, unter dem Deckmantel der Ahmed-Schah-Massoud-Stiftung (EurasiaNet, 20. Dezember 2021).

Überdies stünden Ruttig zufolge verschiedene Verwandte Massouds, die unter den Vorgängerregierungen auch hohe Staatspositionen bekleideten, mit anderen Exil-Anti-Taliban-Gruppen in Verbindung, so etwa der ehemalige Vizepräsident Afghanistans, Ahmad Zia Massoud (Ruttig, 1. März 2023; siehe auch Aamaj News, 19. Mai 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 7. November 2022), und der oben genannte nunmehrige Vorsitzende der Ahmad-Schah-Massoud-Stiftung, Ahmad Wali Massoud (Ruttig, 1. März 2023; siehe auch Al Arabiya News, 19. Mai 2022). Als Beispiel nennt der Experte das Supreme Council of National Resistance for the Salvation of Afghanistan (DE: Oberster Rat des Nationalen Widerstandes für die Befreiung Afghanistans), mit dem beide Genannte in Kontakt stünden (Ruttig, 1. März 2023). An einem virtuellen Treffen des Rates habe laut einem Artikel des persischen Dienstes des britischen Senders BBC News im August 2022 auch Ahmad Massoud teilgenommen (BBC News Persian, 14. August 2022).

Als letzte Massoud-nahe Gruppierung nennt Ruttig die islamistische „Alt“-Partei Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan (auch: Jamiat), an welcher ihm zufolge die Massoud-Brüder „führend beteiligt seien“. Die Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan sei weiterhin aktiv (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023). Laut Human Rights Watch sei die Partei Jamiat-e Islami in den 1970er Jahren von Student·innen der Kabuler Universität als eine der ersten islamistischen Parteien gegründet worden. Burhanuddin Rabbani, der 1992 Präsident Afghanistans wurde, sei in den 1980er und 1990er Jahren der offizielle Führer von Jamiat-e Islami gewesen. Die mächtigste Figur innerhalb der Partei sei jedoch Ahmad Schah Massoud gewesen, der in den 1980er Jahren den militärischen Flügel der Partei angeführt habe. Rabbani und Massoud seien beide Tadschiken gewesen und die Partei in erster Linie eine tadschikische Partei (HRW, Juli 2005; siehe auch Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 22. September 2022).

Lage von Personen mit unterstellter Verbindung zur „Massoud-Bewegung“

Ruttig zufolge würden die Taliban Gruppenverfolgung oder „Sippenhaft“ gegen Widerstand bewaffneter oder ziviler Art einsetzen. Aus diesem Grund sei es dem Afghanistan-Experten zufolge möglich, „dass Menschen, die in Verbindung zu Organisationen oder Institutionen stehen, die mit der Familie Massoud assoziiert sind oder werden, Verfolgung ausgesetzt werden“ (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023).

Im Mai 2022 berichtet Columbia Broadcasting System News (CBS News), dass die NRF eine neue Militäroffensive gegen die Taliban verkündet habe, um das Pandschschir- sowie das Andarab-Tal zu „befreien“. Daraufhin hätten die Taliban rasch Kräfte nach Pandschschir entsendet und die Festnahme dutzender NRF-Kämpfer gemeldet (CBS News, 16. Mai 2022).

Im Februar 2023 berichtet The South Asia Collective, dass die Bewohner·innen Pandschschirs tadschikischen Ursprungs aufgrund der NRF-Offensive gegen die Taliban in der Provinz Pandschschir zu den am meisten von Zwangsvertreibung betroffenen Personen zählen würden. Die Taliban hätten Tadschik·innen, in erster Linie Pandschschiris, unmenschlich behandelt und sie gezwungen, ihre Wohnstätten in den Provinzen Tachar, Baghlan und Pandschschir zu verlassen. Sie würden diese Strategien gegen Zivilist·innen anwenden, um die militärische Opposition zu unterdrücken (The South Asia Collective, Februar 2023, S. 16). Zur Unterdrückung bewaffneten Widerstandes würden die Taliban außergerichtliche Tötungen und Kriegsverbrechen ausführen (The South Asia Collective, Februar 2023, S. 19). Laut einem UNAMA-Bericht über den Berichtszeitraum 15. August 2021 bis 15. Juni 2022 habe UNAMA Menschenrechtsverletzungen an Personen dokumentiert, die im Verdacht gestanden hätten oder beschuldigt worden seien, mit der NRF in Verbindung zu stehen. UNAMA habe 18 außergerichtliche Tötungen, 54 Fälle von Folter und Misshandlung und 113 Fälle willkürlicher Festnahmen und Inhaftierungen sowie 23 Fälle von Isolationshaft dokumentiert. Der Großteil der Fälle habe sich in den Provinzen Baghlan und Pandschschir ereignet, wo die NRF am aktivsten sei. UNAMA habe zudem Fälle willkürlicher Festnahmen großer Gruppen von Zivilist·innen durch die De-facto-Behörden in Baghlan und Pandschschir dokumentiert. Diese Festnahmen seien im Zusammenhang mit der Anschuldigung, die NRF zu unterstützen, erfolgt (UNAMA, 2022, S. 16-17; siehe auch Radio Azadi, 27. Dezember 2022; Independent Persian, 2. November 2022). UNAMA schildert eine Anzahl konkreter Fälle, die im Anhang der vorliegenden Anfragebeantwortung nachgelesen werden können (siehe UNAMA, 2022, S. 16-17). In einem Artikel vom November 2022 berichtet Afghan Witness (AW) von der außergerichtlichen Tötung von 10 Männern im Distrikt Dara in der Provinz Pandschschir durch Taliban-Kämpfer sowie weiteren 17 außergerichtlichen Tötungen und 30 Todesfällen als Ergebnis der Taliban-Offensive gegen Widerstandskämpfer in Pandschschir im September 2022 (AW, 8. November 2022).

Wird Besitzern eines Ausweises der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud" eine Verbindung zur Massoud-Bewegung unterstellt?

In seiner E-Mail-Auskunft erklärt Ruttig, dass er nicht beantworten könne, ob Besitzern eines Ausweises der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ eine Verbindung zur Massoud-Bewegung unterstellt werde, da ihm kein solcher Fall bekannt sei. Die namentliche Überschneidung könne jedoch dazu führen, schildert er. Ruttig sei ein Fall von Verfolgung durch die Taliban bekannt, der auf einer Namensähnlichkeit einer afghanischen politischen Organisation mit einer der neuen bewaffneten Anti-Taliban-Gruppen beruhe (Ruttig, 1. März 2023). Im Zuge der Recherche für die vorliegende Anfragebeantwortung konnten darüber hinaus keine Informationen dazu gefunden werden, ob Besitzern eines Ausweises der genannten Schule eine Verbindung zur Massoud-Bewegung unterstellt wird.

Laut Einträgen auf der Facebookseite der Schule „Märtyrer-Massoud“ aus dem Jahr 2021 sei Al-Hadsch Mohammad Aref Nouri der Leiter und Gründer der Schule (Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud, 4. September 2021; Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud, 25. Juni 2021). In einem Eintrag vom Februar 2021 weist die Seite zudem auf andere Facebook-Seiten hin, die vorgeben würden, die Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ zu repräsentieren. Es werden über 30 andere Facebook-Seiten dargestellt, von denen keine in Verbindung mit der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ stehe, obwohl dies von den Seiten vorgegeben werde (Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud, 15. Februar 2021).

Zugriff der Taliban auf die Daten von Schüler·innen der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud"

Ein Zugriff der Taliban auf Daten von Schülern der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ könne Ruttig zufolge nicht ausgeschlossen werden, da die Taliban potenziell Zugang zu allen Datenbanken, Listen und dergleichen staatlicher und nicht-staatlicher Einrichtungen hätten oder sich einen solchen Zugang verschaffen könnten (Ruttig, 20. Februar 2023). Es konnten darüber hinaus im Zuge der Recherche keine Informationen über den Zugriff der Taliban auf Daten von Schülern der Schule „Märtyrer Massoud“ gefunden werden.

Laut einem Bericht von Human Rights Watch (HRW) vom März 2022 hätten die Taliban Zugriff auf Systeme biometrischer Daten erlangt, die von westlichen Regierungen im August 2021 in Afghanistan zurückgelassen worden seien. Dies gefährde der Quelle zufolge tausende Afghan·innen. Es handle sich dabei um digitale Identifikations- und Gehaltssysteme, die persönliche und biometrische Daten enthalten würden. In Afghanistan gebe es mit Stand 30. März 2022 kein Datenschutzgesetz (HRW, 30. März 2022).

Im August 2022 berichten zwei Quellen von dem Fall eines in Afghanistan lebenden afghanischen Lehrers, dessen Daten „aus Versehen“ durch das Außenministerium des Vereinigten Königreichs an einen anderen afghanischen Bürger in Afghanistan weitergegeben worden seien. Der Lehrer, der in der Vergangenheit im Ausland tätig gewesen sei, habe im Zuge eines Antrags um Aufnahme in das Vereinigte Königreich Daten von sich und seiner Familie bekanntgegeben. Seit der Taliban-Machtübernahme im August 2021 halte er sich gemeinsam mit seiner Frau und den zwei Kindern in Afghanistan versteckt (The Guardian, 10. August 2022; AN, 10. August 2022).

Wir haben bezüglich der vorliegenden Anfragebeantwortung einen weiteren externen Experten kontaktiert, allerdings noch keine Auskunft erhalten. Sollten eine Antwort bei uns einlangen, werden wir diese umgehend an Sie weiterleiten.

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 15. März 2023)

·      Aamaj News: Decentralizing the power structure is the first step to real inclusivity, Massoud says, 29. November 2021
https://aamajnews24.com/massoud-3/

·      Aamaj News: No group could govern in Afghanistan forcibly: Supreme Council of Resistance to Save Afghanistan, 19. Mai 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/afg-anti-taliban-front/

·      Al Arabiya News: Exiled Afghan warlords form resistance council to fight Taliban, 19. Mai 2022
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/05/19/Exiled-Afghan-warlords-form-resistance-council-to-fight-Taliban

·      AN – Arab News: UK accidentally leaks personal data on Afghan teacher in hiding from Taliban, 10. August 2022
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140246/world

·      AW – Afghan Witness: Alleged human rights violations in Panjshir: what sources on the ground say, 8. November 2022
https://www.afghanwitness.org/reports/alleged-human-rights-violations-in-panjshir%3A-what-sources-on-the-ground-say

·      BBC News Persian: Der Oberste Rat des Nationalen Widerstandes für die Befreiung Afghanistans stellte Charta gegen die Taliban vor
[«شورای عالی مقاومت برای نجات افغانستان» در برابر طالبان از منشور خود رونمایی کرد], 14. August 2022
https://www.bbc.com/persian/articles/c10v91y0l0lo

·      CBS News – Columbia Broadcasting System News: Afghanistan war rekindles, claiming lives and sending civilians fleeing as Taliban battles Panjshir valley resistance, 16. Mai 2022
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-war-taliban-resistance-panjshir-massoud-fighting-deaths-displaced/

·      EurasiaNet: Taliban accidentally wires money to Tajikistan-based opposition, 20. Dezember 2021
https://eurasianet.org/taliban-accidentally-wires-money-to-tajikistan-based-opposition

·      Hasht-e Subh: Citizens to Exiled Politicians, No Need for Your Political Copies of Prescriptions, 7. November 2022
https://8am.media/eng/citizens-to-exiled-politicians-no-need-for-your-political-copies-of-prescriptions/

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: New Evidence that Biometric Data Systems Imperil Afghans; Taliban Now Control Systems with Sensitive Personal Information, 30. März 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2070481.html

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: Appendix – Jamiat-e Islami-yi Afghanistan (Jamiat), Juli 2005
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/afghanistan0605/8.htm#_ftn314

·      ICG – International Crisis Group: Afghanistan’s Security Challenges under the Taliban, 12. August 2022
https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/afghanistans-security-challenges-under-taliban

·      Independent Persian: Tausch von 5 Taliban-Gefangenen gegen 10 Anhänger der NRF
[پنج اسیر طالبان با ۱۰ عضو جبهه مقاومت ملی مبادله شدند], 2. November 2022
https://www.independentpersian.com/node/280626/%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86/%D9%BE%D9%86%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%DB%B1%DB%B0-%D8%B9%D8%B6%D9%88-%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%AF

·      Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud [مکتب خانه شهید مسعود]: Facebook-Post, 15. Februar 2021
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3004617353099587&set=pb.100066375408795.-2207520000.

·      Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud [مکتب خانه شهید مسعود]: Facebook-Post, 25. Juni 2021
https://www.facebook.com/HajiArifNoorin/photos/a.614668978603555/5575200085883728/

·      Maktab-Chaneh Schahid Massoud [مکتب خانه شهید مسعود]: Facebook-Post, 4. September 2021
https://www.facebook.com/maktabkahnamasoud.shahid/photos/a.1813263402234994/3155602831334371

·      Massoud Foundation Australia, About Us, ohne Datum
https://www.massoudfoundation.org.au/about

·      Massoud Foundation USA: About Us, ohne Datum
https://www.massoudfoundation.us/about-us

·      Massoud Foundation USA, Facebook-Post, 12. Dezember 2022
https://www.facebook.com/profile/100064873680699/search/?q=temporary%20center%20in%20Tajikistan

·      Radio Azadi: Krieg in Baghlan; Nationale Widerstandsfront von Afghanistan gibt Tod zweier ihrer Kommandeure bekannt
[جنگ در بغلان؛ جبهه مقاومت ملی افغانستان از کشته شدن دو فرمانده این جبهه خبر داده است], 27. Dezember 2022
https://da.azadiradio.com/a/32194583.html

·      Ruttig, Thomas: E-Mail-Auskunft, 20. Feburar 2023

·      Ruttig, Thomas: E-Mail-Auskunft, 1. März 2023

·      Stimson: Afghanistan Under the Taliban: Findings on the Current Situation, 20. Oktober 2022
https://www.stimson.org/2022/afghanistan-under-the-taliban-findings-on-the-current-situation/

·      The Guardian: FCDO ‘error’ reveals data on Afghan teacher in hiding from Taliban, 10. August 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/10/fcdo-error-reveals-data-on-afghan-teacher-in-hiding-from-taliban

·      The South Asia Collective: South Asia State of Minorities Report 2022; Weakening Human Rights Commitments and Its Impact on Minorities, Februar 2023
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/7888f34f-874c-4ef7-889f-7ac774a0d0fe/SASM2022.pdf

·      Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: Why Do People in Afghanistan Object to Taliban Rule?, 22. September 2022
https://institute.global/policy/why-do-people-afghanistan-object-taliban-rule

·      TGP – The Geopolitics: Why Anti-Taliban Resistance Should be Supported, 3. Jänner 2023
https://thegeopolitics.com/why-anti-taliban-resistance-should-be-supported/

·      UNAMA – United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Human Rights in Afghanistan: 15 August 2021-15 June 2022, 2022
https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/unama_human_rights_in_afghanistan_report_-_june_2022_english.pdf

·      WION – World Is One News: Exiled Afghan warlord organising group in Turkey against Taliban, 23. Mai 2022
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exiled-afghan-warlord-organising-group-in-turkey-against-taliban-481388

 

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen

Aamaj News ist eine afghanische Nachrichtenagentur mit Sitz in Kabul und Zweigstellen in London und Istanbul.

·      Aamaj News: Decentralizing the power structure is the first step to real inclusivity, Massoud says, 29. November 2021
https://aamajnews24.com/massoud-3/

„The founder and president of Massoud foundation, Ahmad Wali Massoud tweeted that the international community must realize that it is not possible to form an inclusive government under Taliban rule.“ (Aamaj News, 29. November 2021)

·      Aamaj News: No group could govern in Afghanistan forcibly: Supreme Council of Resistance to Save Afghanistan, 19. Mai 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/afg-anti-taliban-front/

„A number of leaders, political figures and anti-Taliban politicians in a meeting under the title ‘Supreme Council of Resistance’ in Ankara, Turkey releasing a statement urged the Taliban to restart talks to resolve current problems in Afghanistan. […]

Abdul Rashid Dustom, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, Ata Mohammad Noor, Mir Rahman Rahmani, Mohammad Alam Izadyar, representatives of Salahuddin Rabbani, Latif Pedram, a son of Ismail Khan, Gen. Din Mohammad Jurat, Almas Zahid, Hazrat Aali, Rahel Dostum, Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Aalia Yulmaz, Massouma Khawari, and some other figures were the participants of the meeting.“ (Aamaj News, 19. Mai 2022)

Al Arabiya ist ein in Dubai ansässiger arabischer Nachrichtensender.

·      Al Arabiya News: Exiled Afghan warlords form resistance council to fight Taliban, 19. Mai 2022
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/05/19/Exiled-Afghan-warlords-form-resistance-council-to-fight-Taliban

„Former Afghan warlords and exiled politicians announced the creation of a High Council of National Resistance against the Taliban on Thursday, calling on Taliban to form a more inclusive government or risk civil war. […]

Founding members of the council include former Balkh province governor Atta Mohammad Noor, leader of the Shia Hazara community Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Ahmad Wali Massoud of the National Resistance Front (NRF), the main group currently waging an armed insurgency against the government.“ (Al Arabiya News, 19. Mai 2022)

Arab News (AN) ist eine saudi-arabische englischsprachige Tageszeitung.

·      AN – Arab News: UK accidentally leaks personal data on Afghan teacher in hiding from Taliban, 10. August 2022
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140246/world

„An Afghan teacher has been told by a UK government department that his personal details were passed to a member of the public in Afghanistan ‘in error.’

The man, who has worked abroad, has been in hiding in Afghanistan with his wife and two children since the Taliban takeover in August last year.

The data breach has been acknowledged by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is the first known leak under the government’s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, which prioritizes those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and vulnerable people, including members of minority groups.“ (AN, 10. August 2022)

Afghan Witness (AW) ist laut Selbstbeschreibung ein Projekt mit dem Ziel unabhängig Informationen zu Menschenrechten und aktuellen Ereignissen in Afghanistan zu sammeln und zur Verfügung zu stellen.

·      AW – Afghan Witness: Alleged human rights violations in Panjshir: what sources on the ground say, 8. November 2022
https://www.afghanwitness.org/reports/alleged-human-rights-violations-in-panjshir%3A-what-sources-on-the-ground-say

„On 18 October Afghan Witness (AW) released a report conclusively linking one group of Taliban fighters to the execution of ten men in Dara district, Panjshir. The report also includes credible evidence of a further 17 executions and 30 deaths as a result of the Taliban offensive against alleged resistance fighters in Panjshir in September 2022.

In recent weeks, the northeastern province has been a focal point for human rights investigators and organisations, with Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan recently visiting Panjshir to investigate the situation, later describing a ‘massive crackdown on civilians‘ and ‘widespread human rights abuses’. On 27 October, the Taliban responded by calling the rapporteur’s conclusions ‘unbalanced’, but insisted that if violations occurred ‘in error’ they would be investigated. […]

Ahad, not his real name, is living in hiding in Kabul and has similar stories to tell. 

His family has been moving between Panjshir and the capital in recent months. He says that while evidence of alleged HRVs is shared widely via social media, many incidents ‘go unreported due to the Taliban’s severe censorship and control’.

He alleges that in the Abdullah Khel area of Panjshir’s Dara district, the Taliban have killed many NRF [National Resistance Front] members. In May, AW geolocated [GRAPHIC] two videos showing the dead bodies of NRF [National Resistance Front] fighters to the Abdullah Khel Valley. Several pieces of footage have also arisen documenting high numbers of arrests - allegedly local men - which AW has been able to geolocate to Abdullah Khel and other areas of Panjshir. By August AW had recorded the arrests of at least 181 men in the province. 

Ahad says Taliban fighters go house to house in areas of Panjshir and eavesdrop to identify families who are in mourning. 

‘This way, they identify families of deceased NRF fighters,’ he explains. 

Ahad says there have been disputes over burials, with some Taliban fighters attempting to prevent the burials of deceased NRF fighters. In such cases, he says  ‘the dead bodies are left in the mountains.’

But sources say it is not just alleged NRF forces being targeted. 

‘The Taliban have created numerous checkpoints in Panjshir province, mistreating and disrespecting people while doing their inspections,’ says Ahad. 

‘People who live in the upper areas and highlands of Panjshir cannot get out of their houses because there is always the risk of them being shot by the Taliban,’ he adds.

Majeed, not his real name, is originally from the province but currently lives in Kabul. He alleges that earlier this year his brother, who was a shopkeeper, was killed by Taliban fighters when he refused to open his shop for them one evening.

‘They tortured my brother until early morning [the next day] and threw his body near his shop at around six or seven in the morning. His whole body was bruised,’ Majeed says. 

‘My brother was not a member of the NRF - he was just a grocery shopkeeper,’ he adds. […]

According to Majeed, the Taliban’s governor for Panjshir and other Taliban elders came and met the family following his brother’s death. After arresting the perpetrators, Majeed says the Taliban representatives asked for forgiveness, though eventually freed the men responsible.“ (AW, 8. November 2022)

CBS News ist die für Nachrichtensendungen zuständige Abteilung des zum US-amerikanischen Medienkonzern CBS Corporation gehörenden Rundfunkunternehmens Columbia Broadcasting System.

·      CBS News – Columbia Broadcasting System News: Afghanistan war rekindles, claiming lives and sending civilians fleeing as Taliban battles Panjshir valley resistance, 16. Mai 2022
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-war-taliban-resistance-panjshir-massoud-fighting-deaths-displaced/

„Earlier this month the National Resistance Forces of Afghanistan (NRF) announced a new military operation against Taliban forces aimed at ‘liberating’ the Panjshir and Andarab valleys.

The NRF is an alliance of anti-Taliban forces made up largely of former members of the country's military and police, many of them trained by U.S. forces during the two-decade war. Formed after Kabul fell to the Taliban last August, the NRF is led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the iconic 1990s anti-Taliban militia leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

The elder Massoud was killed by al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan just before the group carried out its September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the U.S.

The NRF, along with several smaller resistance groups, has vowed to ‘free Afghanistan’ from the Taliban's rule.

The Taliban quickly sent forces up to Panjshir to counter the NRF offensive, and the group's leaders claim they captured dozens of NRF fighters before declaring the situation in the region ‘normal and peaceful’ again on Monday.“ (CBS News, 16. Mai 2022)

EurasiaNet ist eine vom Central Eurasia Project des Open Society Institute betriebene Website, die Informationen und Analysen zu politischen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Themen zur Verfügung stellt.

·      EurasiaNet: Taliban accidentally wires money to Tajikistan-based opposition, 20. Dezember 2021
https://eurasianet.org/taliban-accidentally-wires-money-to-tajikistan-based-opposition

„The NRF [National Resistance Front] even opened a branch in Dushanbe, although it has under pressure from the authorities, who look shy of seeking direct confrontation with the Taliban, been required to rebrand the office as the Ahmed Shah Massoud Foundation, named in honor of the anti-Taliban commander murdered in September 2001.“ (EurasiaNet, 20. Dezember 2021)

Hasht-e Subh ist laut Selbstbeschreibung eine unabhängige, nicht-gewinnorientierte afghanische Tageszeitung, die im Jahr 2007 von afghanischen Menschenrechtsverteidiger·innen und nahmhaften afghanischen Journalist·innen gegründet wurde.

·      Hasht-e Subh: Citizens to Exiled Politicians, No Need for Your Political Copies of Prescriptions, 7. November 2022
https://8am.media/eng/citizens-to-exiled-politicians-no-need-for-your-political-copies-of-prescriptions/

„On the other hand, the ‘High Council of National Resistance to Save Afghanistan’, which announced its existence in the month of May this year, has also emphasized the decentralized parliamentary structure and the election of governors. Some sources told Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Supreme Council of National Resistance to Save Afghanistan has been formed by combining the Supreme Council and the Leadership Council, which includes Ahmad Massoud, Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, Marshal Dostum, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Salahuddin Rabbani, Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Younis Qanuni. Ahmad Zia Massoud, Abdul Latif Pedram, Mir Rahman Rahmani, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Mohammad Alam Izdyar, Hazrat Ali, and many other political figures and former Jihadi leaders and former government officials are present. The members of this council have agreed to implement the political system, the decentralized parliamentary structure, and the election of governors in case of an understanding with the Taliban. (Hasht-e Subh, 7. November 2022)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) ist eine international tätige Menschenrechtsorganisation.

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: Appendix – Jamiat-e Islami-yi Afghanistan (Jamiat), Juli 2005
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/afghanistan0605/8.htm#_ftn314

„Jamiat was one of the original Islamist parties in Afghanistan, established in the 1970s by students at Kabul University, where its leader, Burhanuddin Rabbani, was a lecturer in the Islamic Law Faculty.  Although Rabbani was the official head of Jamiat through the 1980s and early 1990s, the most powerful figure within the party was Ahmad Shah Massoud, who led the military wing of Jamiat-e Islami through the 1980s.  (Massoud was assassinated on September 9, 2001.)  Rabbani is Tajik, as was Massoud, and Jamiat-e Islami was and remains a predominately Tajik party.  Rabbani has a base of support in the northeast province of Badakhshan.  Massoud’s ethnic power base was historically in Parwan and Takhar provinces, where he established a regional military and administrative structure in the late 1980s, the Supervisory Council of the North (Shura-e Nazar).  Rabbani became the President of Afghanistan in 1992, and the government under his control was predominately comprised of Jamiat members.  Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Abdullah, and Yunis Qanooni—all members of President Hamid Karzai’s interim cabinet from 2002-2004—were members of Jamiat and Shura-e Nazar.“ (HRW, Juli 2005)

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: New Evidence that Biometric Data Systems Imperil Afghans; Taliban Now Control Systems with Sensitive Personal Information, 30. März 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2070481.html 

„The Taliban control systems holding sensitive biometric data that Western donor governments left behind in Afghanistan in August 2021, putting thousands of Afghans at risk, Human Rights Watch said today.

These digital identity and payroll systems contain Afghans’ personal and biometric data, including iris scans, fingerprints, photographs, occupation, home addresses, and names of relatives. The Taliban could use them to target perceived opponents, and Human Rights Watch research suggests that they may have already used the data in some cases.

‘Governments and organizations that helped amass vast quantities of personal data on large numbers of Afghans may be inadvertently assisting the Taliban repression,’ said Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. ‘Data collection’s highly intrusive nature and inadequate protections could put people at heightened risk of Taliban abuse.’

Foreign governments such as the United States, and international institutions, including United Nations agencies and the World Bank, funded and in some cases built or helped to build vast systems to hold the biometric and other personal data of various groups of Afghans for official purposes. In some cases, these systems were built for the former Afghan government. In others, they were designed for foreign governments and militaries.

Afghanistan currently has no data protection law. Having such a law, even assuming it met international standards, would not have guaranteed adequate data protection, but it could have helped to ensure better practices and to reduce the potential harm to those whose data has fallen into Taliban hands.“ (HRW, 30. März 2022)

Die International Crisis Group (ICG) ist eine unabhängige, nicht profitorientierte Nicht-Regierungsorganisation, die mittels Informationen und Analysen gewaltsame Konflikte verhindern und lösen will.

·      ICG – International Crisis Group: Afghanistan’s Security Challenges under the Taliban, 12. August 2022
https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/afghanistans-security-challenges-under-taliban

„The NRF [National Resistance Front] is primarily active in Panjshir province and adjacent areas in the north, including in parts of Baghlan, Parwan and Kapisa provinces. It also retains some capacity in Kabul. The group’s opposition to the Taliban began immediately after the insurgents took over on 15 August 2021, when Panjshir was left the only province outside the Taliban’s control. A few days later, an uprising in Baghlan’s Andarab region repulsed Taliban forces.  The Taliban quickly sent forces to Andarab and Panjshir and established control over major settlements, but outlying areas remained rife with insurgency. […]

The Taliban have also taken sweeping preventative measures in an effort to control the vast supplies of weapons, ammunition and other materiel in the country. In December 2021, the government announced that the High Commission for Security and Clearance Affairs, led by Deputy Defence Minister Fazil Mazloom and including police, intelligence and defence officials, would be responsible for collecting and disposing of ordnance.  That commission then took a leading role in house-to-house searches in many parts of the country, including Kabul, where in February 2022 it took the unprecedented step of ordering every home in the capital searched. While authorities justified the search as a crime-fighting measure, a key purpose was to collect firearms.  The commission quickly extended these operations to Panjshir, Parwan and Kapisa provinces, all NRF bastions.“ (ICG, 12. August 2022)

Die Massoud Foundation ist eine Stiftung mit Standorten in Afghanistan, den USA, dem Vereinigten Königreich, Australien und Tadschikistan, die auf dem Gedankengut von Ahmad Schah Massoud gründet.

·      Massoud Foundation Australia, About Us, ohne Datum
https://www.massoudfoundation.org.au/about

„Massoud Foundation was established and registered as a charitable trust in 2002 in Afghanistan, with the main objective of human development in the field of education and health as well as cultural activities. After 20 years of successful service delivery to the poorest of the poor in areas of education and health as well as cultural activities in Afghanistan, Massoud Foundation has expanded its activities in Australia, the USA, and the UK to work with the diaspora of Afghanistan in abroad and in Australia and Australian citizens who share ideals of Massoud.

We are dedicated to the memory of Ahmad Shah Massoud as a lasting tribute and in acknowledgment of the monumental role played by him in preserving liberty and dignity of his people against the Soviet invasion and later against violent extremism of Al-Qaida and the Taliban.“ (Massoud Foundation Australia, ohne Datum)

·      Massoud Foundation USA: About Us, ohne Datum
https://www.massoudfoundation.us/about-us

„The Massoud Foundation USA is governed by its Board of Directors and public benefit corporation bylaws that dictate the Foundation’s activities to the highest charitable organization standards. […]

Ambassador Ahmad Wali Massoud, Chairman, Massoud Foundation of Afghanistan. Ambassador Massoud is the younger brother of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud. After serving in Ahmad Shah Massoud's resistance army during the Soviet invasion and as a London-based political activist, in 1992 Mr. Wali Massoud was appointed as Afghanistan’s Minister Counsellor and Chargé d'Affaires in London. After the fall of the Taliban, and following the establishment of the new administration under the Bonn Agreement, he was appointed as ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2003. Ambassador Massoud’s appointment once again elevated the position of the Afghan ambassador in the United Kingdom. Ambassador Massoud has a masters degree in political science.

As Chairman of the Massoud Foundation of Afghanistan, Ambassador Massoud was instrumental in the establishment of the Massoud Foundation USA and serves as a permanent member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.“ (Massoud Foundation, ohne Datum)

Das Stimson Center ist eine gemeinnützige, überparteiliche Denkfabrik mit dem Ziel, den internationalen Frieden und die internationale Sicherheit durch Analysen und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit zu fördern.

·      Stimson: Afghanistan Under the Taliban: Findings on the Current Situation, 20. Oktober 2022
https://www.stimson.org/2022/afghanistan-under-the-taliban-findings-on-the-current-situation/

„The NRF [National Resistance Front] is led by Ahmad Massoud, the 33-year-old son of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud. The NRF leadership around Massoud in Dushanbe includes his relatives and former members of his father’s resistance organization. All are from Panjshir. Amrullah Saleh, former vice-president and intelligence chief, is also in Dushanbe with some commando units who fled Afghanistan with him. He too is from Panjshir. […]

The NRF’s fighters on the ground have almost entirely retreated to side valleys of Panjshir. The Taliban control the main valley, where the population and agricultural land are concentrated. The NRF’s political program consists of opposition to the abuses of the Taliban and demanding talks with the Taliban regarding governance, which they insist must include holding elections and “decentralization” of the state administration. […]

The NRF realizes that it needs to expand its support beyond its current organizational base, limited by ethnicity (Tajik) and geography (Panjshir). It consistently states that it is fighting for national goals of democracy, human rights, and ethnic equality. In an attempt to broaden the NRF’s base, Ahmad Massoud attended a September 15-17 meeting of exiled Afghan political leaders in Vienna. The group was multi-ethnic and had substantial representation of women (see Annex 2 for its final declaration). The final declaration included points that many Afghans would agree with. It called for an ‘inclusive, responsible, and accountable’ government. It said that ‘political dialogue’ was the preferred option for ‘solving the country’s problems.’ It supported the ‘resistance of the people of Afghanistan … to realize their legitimate and rightful demands,’ but made no explicit call for armed struggle or decentralization of the state.“ (Stimson, 20. Oktober 2022)

The Guardian ist eine britische Tageszeitung.

·      The Guardian: FCDO ‘error’ reveals data on Afghan teacher in hiding from Taliban, 10. August 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/10/fcdo-error-reveals-data-on-afghan-teacher-in-hiding-from-taliban

„An Afghan teacher who has been in hiding with his wife and two children since the Taliban takeover last August has been told by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that his personal details have been passed on to a member of the public ‘in error’.

The data breach is the first known leak under the government’s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, which prioritises those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and vulnerable people, including members of minority groups. […]

Those wishing to apply for transfer to the UK through the ACRS [Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme] must complete an ‘expression of interest’ form. The family’s personal details from this form were leaked to another Afghan citizen, putting them at risk of being found by the Taliban.

In correspondence seen by the Guardian, the ACRS team alerted the man to the leak and said: ‘In accordance with the general data protection regulation (GDPR), I am writing to inform you that some of your personal data has, in error, been forwarded on to another member of the public who had submitted an expression of interest for the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS) … which contained personal data, including your name and background details.’“ (The Guardian, 10. August)

Die South Asia Collective ist laut Selbstbeschreibung eine Gruppe von Aktivist·innen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen mit dem Ziel Frieden, Fortschritt und Menschenrechte in Südasien zu fördern.

·      The South Asia Collective: South Asia State of Minorities Report 2022; Weakening Human Rights Commitments and Its Impact on Minorities, Februar 2023
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/7888f34f-874c-4ef7-889f-7ac774a0d0fe/SASM2022.pdf

„The Panjshiri people of Tajik ethnicity have been one of the primary victims of forced displacements due to the mobilisation of the National Resistance Front (NRF) against the Taliban in Panjshir province. The Taliban have treated Tajiks, mainly Panjshir civilians, inhumanely, and have forced them to evacuate their homes in Takhar, Baghlan, and Panjshir provinces. They use such tactics against civilians to suppress the military opposition. Recently in May 2022, the Taliban evicted 40 families in Pul-eHesar district of Baghlan province and established their military bases in the evacuated houses. Also, they conducted forced collective expulsions of residents in the Parian district of Panjshir province and threatened civilians of another district, Abdullah Khil, with expulsion from their homes unless the residents were able to persuade the anti-Taliban militants to surrender. NRF conducts activities and movements in all of the above-mentioned provinces.“ (The South Asia Collective, Februar 2023, S. 16)

„The Taliban are carrying out extrajudicial killings and war crimes in an attempt to suppress armed rebellions. After the fall of Kabul, some Hazaras but primarily Panjshiri people of Tajik ethnicity resisted the Taliban government. Based on a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Taliban authorities are accused of committing a total of 237 extrajudicial killings during the 10 months since August 2021. Eighteen of the reported victims were Tajik affiliates of the NRF. The number of extrajudicial executions of Tajiks by the Taliban has surged due to the severe resistance by people belonging to this minority group in Panjshir province. In September 2022, three videos were circulated on social media showing the Taliban shooting NRF war prisoners. The Taliban also committed war crimes on arrested NRF members from the Hazara community who were under the command of Mawlavi Mahdi Mujahid, a former commander of the Taliban, in Sar-e-Pol province. (The South Asia Collective, Februar 2023, S. 19)

Das Tony Blair Institute for Global Change ist eine nicht-gewinnorientierte Organisation, die vom ehemaligen Premierminister des Vereinigten Königreichs Tony Blair gegründet wurde und das Ziel verfolgt, Regierungen zu beraten.

·      Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: Why Do People in Afghanistan Object to Taliban Rule?, 22. September 2022
https://institute.global/policy/why-do-people-afghanistan-object-taliban-rule

„During the Mujahideen years of the 1980s, Pakistan primarily invested in the predominantly Pashtun party, Hezb-e Islami, to position it to take over Kabul when the Soviet-backed regime was defeated. Led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, it was among seven other Islamic politico-military parties based in Pakistan’s Peshawar. Another powerful party was the predominantly Tajik Jamiat-e Islami, led by Burhanuddin Rabbani, while eight Hazara Shia parties, based in the Iranian city of Mashhad, later combined to become Hezb-e Wahdat, led by Abdul Ali Mazari. Meanwhile, Uzbek militias coalesced around the leadership of Abdul Rashid Dostum, a commander under the communist regime.

Soon after the communist regime collapsed and the Soviets completed their withdrawal in 1989, Ahmad Shah Massoud, the military commander of Jamiat-e Islami, took over Kabul in April 1992. This new Islamic government, run by President Rabbani and Massoud, was immediately challenged by Hekmatyar who, with the backing of Pakistan, started fighting to overthrow it. For this purpose, Hekmatyar created an alliance, called the Coordination Council (Shoray Hamahangi), with the leaders of the Uzbeks and Hazaras, but proved unsuccessful in bringing down the government.“ (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 22. September 2022)

The Geopolitics (TGP) wurde 2017 gegründet und ist eine Online-Nachrichtenplattform mit einem Schwerpunkt auf internationale Beziehungen, Weltpolitik und Themen von globaler Bedeutung mit Sitz in New York.

·      TGP – The Geopolitics: Why Anti-Taliban Resistance Should be Supported, 3. Jänner 2023
https://thegeopolitics.com/why-anti-taliban-resistance-should-be-supported/

„So, if the international community does not want Afghanistan turned into a hub for terrorism, the best option for it is to support the Anti-Taliban resistance groups which will also be a cheaper option than maintaining any form of armed presence. Around 40 Afghan warlords and exiled politicians convened a meeting and formed a High Council of National Resistance in Ankara in May 2022. To showcase that their respective anti-Taliban resistance can form a united front. The members include former Balkh province governor Atta Mohammad Noor, National Resistance Front (NRF) member Ahmad Wali Massoud, and Shia leader Mohammad Mohaqiq.“ (TGP, 3. Jänner 2023)

Die Unterstützungsmission der Vereinten Nationen in Afghanistan (UNAMA) ist eine vom UNO-Sicherheitsrat eingerichtete politische Mission zur Unterstützung Afghanistans bei seiner Entwicklung hin zu Frieden und Stabilität.

·      UNAMA – United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Human Rights in Afghanistan: 15 August 2021-15 June 2022, 2022
https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/unama_human_rights_in_afghanistan_report_-_june_2022_english.pdf

„UNAMA HRS [United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s Human Rights Service] has recorded human rights violations targeting individuals suspected or accused of affiliation With the NRF [National Resistance Front], including 18 extrajudicial killings, 54 instances of torture and ill-treatment and 113 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention and 23 cases of incommunicado detention. The majority of incidents have occurred in Baghlan and Panjshir provinces, where the NRF are known to be most active. For example:

On 20 January in Balkh province, Kisindeh district, de facto security forces entered a private home and shot and killed eight NRF fighters as well as four civilians (a woman, two men and one Child) Who were in the same house as the NRF fighters. They were all reportedly shot at Close range.

On 3 February, in Baghlan province, Tagab-e-Bazar area, in Khost district, a de facto Police commander stopped a civilian man, briefly interrogated and then shot and killed him on allegations ofbeing affiliated to NRF.

On 12 March, in Panjshir province, Anaba district, de facto authorities arrested a shopkeeper, accusing him of affiliation With NRF. His dead body was found the following day in front of his house; he had reportedly been tortured severely prior to his death. Footage ofhis execution circulated widely on social media and two days after the incident, de facto authorities in Panjshir announced that seven de facto military force members had been arrested in connection With the incident.

On 7 June, in Baghlan province, Banu district, de facto authorities arrested four adult men accused of NRF affiliation. They were reportedly beaten With Whips and sticks before being shot and killed.

UNAMA HRS has also recorded instances of arbitrary arrests of large groups of civilians by de facto authorities in Baghlan and Panjshir provinces, related to accusations of support for NRF. For example:

On 9 April, in Baghlan province, Deh Salah district, de facto armed forces arrested 14 males — among them four boys — allegedly in an attempt to force their relatives in NRF to surrender. Seven were released the same day, through mediation by community elders, while the others remained in detention.

On 16 April, in Baghlan province, Khost district, Suchi village, de facto armed forces conducted widespread house searches and arrested a number of male civilians, accusing them of NRF affiliation. In total, 40 males — among them four boys — were arrested. Ten were released the same day, while a further 20 detainees were released the following day, 17 April. The remaining 10 detainees were transferred to the de facto General Directorate of lntelligence (GDI), where they were reportedly beaten with guns, punched and kicks. Three of these detainees were released by de facto GDI, while the remaining seven were reportedly transferred to an unknown location.

On 31 May, in Panjshir province, Hes-e-Awal/Khenj district, de facto security forces reportedly arrested 22 civilians accused of supporting NRF. Three were reportedly released following mediation by community elders, while the remaining 19 were transferred to Dashtak prison and then to an unknown location.“ (UNAMA, 2022, S. 16-17)

World is One News (WION) ist eine Online-Nachrichtenplattform mit Sitz in Neu-Delhi, die laut Selbstbeschreibung globale Themen tiefgehend analysiert und neutralen Journalismus betreibt.

·      WION – World Is One News: Exiled Afghan warlord organising group in Turkey against Taliban, 23. Mai 2022
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exiled-afghan-warlord-organising-group-in-turkey-against-taliban-481388

„On Thursday, exiled Afghan warlords and politicians announced the formation of a High Council of National Resistance against the Taliban, urging the Taliban to adopt a more inclusive administration or face civil war. […]

Former Balkh province governor Atta Mohammad Noor, Shia Hazara community leader Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Ahmad Wali Massoud of the National Resistance Front (NRF), the primary group now waging an armed insurgency against the government, are among the council's founding members.“ (WION, 23. Mai 2022)

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