ISLAMABAD: Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has stated that Afghanistan is currently facing a civil war, warning that while the conflict is somewhat contained at the moment, it has the potential to escalate into a more violent and destructive struggle.
In an interview with Outlook, Saleh described the Taliban's rule as "illegitimate" and pointed out that public opposition to their regime is manifesting in various ways, with armed resistance being the most noticeable.
“Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan lacks true national sovereignty and a legitimate state structure, leading to serious repercussions throughout the country, especially in the northern regions, Kabul, and other major urban areas,” believed Saleh, who served as vice president during the former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's time.
He characterized the resistance from anti-Taliban forces as "real," but noted that their attacks haven't yet become widespread, intense, or very noticeable.
Saleh warned that dictatorships often underestimate their opponents, as well as public anger and the strength of opposition groups.
TTP and Afghan Taliban
Amrullah Saleh dismissed claims of a significant divide between the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
He stated that he saw no signs of increasing differences between the two factions.
He contended that the Afghan Taliban are "indebted" to the Pakistani Taliban, suggesting that any appearance of cooperative relations is more about necessity than anything else.
“Taliban have kept connections with anti-government factions in the region and that some global powers support these relationships,” he asserted.
"If the secret annexes to the Doha deal are made public, we can decipher the Taliban's actions more easily. Afghanistan was handed over to them for a reason,” said the former Afghan vice president, urging that the secret annexes of the Doha Agreement be made public.
Change in Afghan Taliban
Speaking about the Afghan Taliban's nature, he said, "A scorpion without venom is not a scorpion."
He rejected any notions that the Taliban have "changed" or "reformed," insisting that they have only one consistent "DNA", which he described as "anti-national, anti-civilization, anti-inclusivity, and misogynistic."
In Saleh's opinion, the Taliban view themselves as enforcers of submission through cruelty.
He also mentioned reported discrepancies between the Taliban leadership in Kandahar and Kabul, stating that the Afghan people are experiencing nothing but oppression, exclusion, and brutality.
Who is Saleh?
Amrullah Saleh, a former Afghan vice-president and intelligence chief, was among the most prominent figures to oppose the Taliban as the group swept across Afghanistan in August 2021.
As Kabul fell and President Ashraf Ghani left the country, Saleh declared himself the “legitimate caretaker president” and relocated to the Panjshir Valley, where he joined Ahmad Masood in resisting the Taliban. He later became one of the key figures associated with the anti-Taliban resistance and continues to lead the Afghanistan Green Trend.