Afghan Resistance Blames Political Collapse on Ashraf Ghani's Flight, Secret Deals With Taliban

KABUL (Sputnik) - The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) said on Tuesday that the collapse of the country's political system and the subsequent spread of extremism were the result of secret agreements made by the previous authorities with the Taliban* and the flight of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

"The secret agreements during negotiations with the Taliban and in the framework of the negotiation process that our people had the full right to know about, as well as the surrender of government to the Taliban by Mr. Ashraf Ghani and his escape with the public treasury in a clear case of national betrayal, led to the collapse of the political system, the loss of the achievements of the people and the fall of the country into the laps of extremism and murderous terrorism", NRF leader Ahmad Massoud said in a statement published on Twitter.

اعلامیه‌ی رسمی محترم احمد مسعود، رهبر جبهه مقاومت ملی به زبان‌های فارسی و انگلیسی

An official announcement by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan's leader @AhmadMassoud01 in Persian and English pic.twitter.com/JUgbqxXL6R

— National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) October 12, 2021

Massoud said that the NRF together with many other "prominent actors", including politicians and military commanders, seeks to take the necessary steps to contain the crisis caused by the collapse of the country's political system. Members of the movement are determined to continue to fight against the Taliban, as well as any type of religious extremism and terrorism, according to the statement.

The NRF believes that the nationwide protests against Taliban authorities has contributed to the international community's refusal to officially recognize the Islamist movement.

The resistance movement also accused the Taliban of continuing to commit crimes in Afghanistan, including killing civilians, violating public property, evicting people from their homes, and discriminating against women, among other.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August after seizing Kabul without any resistance on 15 August. When the insurgents reached the gates of Kabul, reports emerged about Ghani's decision to peacefully hand the country over. However, several hours later it turned out that the president had fled Afghanistan in order to, as he claimed, avoid bloodshed.

On 30 August, the US military completed its troop withdrawal from the country, bringing an end to the nearly twenty-year American military presence there. A week later, the Taliban claimed to have gained control of Panjshir, the last of 34 Afghan provinces not under their rule.

The next day, the group unveiled an interim government led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as foreign minister during the first Taliban rule and has been under UN sanctions since 2001 for his role in that government.

*The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.