A long time ago, in a reality far, far away, there were the Commies. The Commies were bad, and if you didn’t like the Commies, that meant you were good. Until you turned out to be bad. Then you were bad. And anyone who liked you was good. Which is the quickest way I know to explain the mujahideen and their current role (or lack thereof) in Afghan politics. And it’s that lack of a role that’s got people like Ismail Khan less than thrilled:
The former Jihadi leader and Minister of Water and Energy Mohammad Ismail Khan has warned that there will be no security in the country if the Jihadi leaders remain sidelined in the new government.
Given Mr. Khan’s not inconsiderable role in Afghanistan’s past, that’s the kind of thing that could be called a threat. Maybe Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf can help clear this up a bit:
“The mujahideen have been separate from politics, which is not in favor of the country. Mujahideen are not war criminals, but communist leaders were who killed thousands of people committing crimes.”
That’s an interesting revisionist approach to Afghanistan’s past: there weren’t a whole lot of clean hands once the last civil war came to a grinding halt.
But the mujahideen are ready to ride again: in case of Daesh, just break glass.
“If Daesh arrives to our doors, you’ll be knocking on the doors of the mujahideen once again.”
Part of me wants to see everyone saddle up and ride out like the right hand of God Himself and smite the enemy. And lo, the smiting would be glorious, and then when the fighting stopped and the smoke cleared, everything would be solved. Because that’s how it worked the last time. War’s an easy thing: it’s the peace afterward that can be tough to sort out. And these aren’t the kind of statements the standing government can afford to ignore.
In response to former 2014 presidential candidate Abdul Rabb Rassoul Sayyaf, the National Unity Government’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Monday warned that ignoring the interests and necessities of Afghanistan would be a recipe for disaster.
“Any individual or groups that underestimate the issues facing Afghanistan and make a decision without considering the interests and needs of the country will create catastrophic damages,” Abdullah warned.
Abdullah also made it clear he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
Abdullah said that the status of the mujahideen who served the country is preserved and no one will forget the sacrifices they made for the future of the country.
“Jihad values are the everlasting values of the people of Afghanistan, which were gained by rendering heavy sacrifices,” he said. “This would not be violated under any circumstance, including egoism.”
What makes this a little alarming is that these gentlemen have all settled differences in the past in the most direct manner possible. These are not the kind of people who will just sit by idly in the event any of this escalates. It’s a different time, sure, but in the event any of this degrades into civil war, you’re looking at how the lines would be drawn.