By: Abubakar Siddique
During an official see to Islamic Republic of Iran inwards May, Tariq Shah Bahrami, Afghanistan’s defence minister, received assurances that Tehran was fully committed to helping Kabul struggle terrorism. It was a welcome guarantee, coming every bit Afghan forces faced a fresh onslaught from the Taliban, which typically mounts an annual offensive inwards April. Within months, however, the hope appeared to band hollow every bit Afghan officials increasingly blamed Islamic Republic of Iran for the fighting inwards Afghanistan’s western Farah province.
A Common Enemy
Speaking afterwards his coming together alongside Bahrami on May 13, Iranian Army Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Baqeri declared that Tehran in addition to Kabul shared a mutual purpose.
“The shared backgrounds betwixt the 2 countries of Islamic Republic of Iran in addition to Afghanistan, including organized religious belief in addition to language, have got brought them together inwards such a means that no obstruction tin undermine their unopen relations, especially inwards combatting the terrorist groups,” he said (Khaama Press, May 13).
However, every bit Bahrami gathered assurances in addition to pledges of back upwardly from the clerical regime’s senior officials inwards Tehran, a battle was brewing along the nearly 1,000 kilometer-long border betwixt the countries. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Taliban fighters descended on the western metropolis of Farah, which serves every bit the working capital missive of the alphabet of the rural Farah province.
Heavily armed Taliban fighters breached Farah’s defenses inwards the early on hours of May 15. By mid-day, they had overrun large swathes of the town, torched several authorities edifice in addition to killed in addition to captured authorities soldiers, policemen in addition to pro-government militia members.
“The incompetent defence minister, the caput of the Directorate of National Security [the Afghan undercover service] in addition to Mr. President, the residents of Farah are utterly disappointed alongside y'all because nosotros were nearly overrun yesteryear Iranian in addition to Pakistani spies,” said Humayon Shahzada, a militia fellow member who fought inwards the battle (Tolo News, May 15).
In Kabul, Afghan interior ministry building spokesman Najib Danish was to a greater extent than diplomatic. “What happened today has unusual links but it’s soundless non clear which province is involved,” he said.
The clashes continued good into the next day, fifty-fifty afterwards Afghan officials claimed to have got repulsed the Taliban assault yesteryear sending inwards special forces troops in addition to calling on NATO airpower.
Iranian Influence
Provincial Governor Abdul Basir Salangi claimed that to a greater extent than than 300 Taliban fighters were killed inwards the fighting, but local lawmakers, residents, in addition to safety officials said that Taliban fighters emerged from hiding to mountain a fresh assault on Afghan safety forces belatedly on May xvi (Gandhara RFE/RL, May 17). Most officials, however, pointed to a unusual mitt orchestrating the fighting, in addition to many believe that lying behind this violence is non ideology but command of local resources.
“The structure of the Bakhshabad dam inwards Farah in addition to the structure of ‘golden lines’ such every bit the TAPI [the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India] gas pipeline that goes through 3 Farah districts are non acceptable to our neighbor,” Governor Salangi told journalists, inwards what was a clear reference to Islamic Republic of Iran (Tolo News, May 16).
A provincial constabulary chief, Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, was to a greater extent than explicit. “Iran straight interferes … insecurity inwards Farah is inwards the involvement of Islamic Republic of Iran … Islamic Republic of Iran is fully funding in addition to equipping the Taliban inwards Farah,” he said (1TV News, May 16).
Senior Afghan officials, besides every bit General John Nicholson, the overstep U.S. in addition to NATO commander inwards Afghanistan, appear to dorsum these assertions coming from Farah. During a May nineteen see to the province, Afghan interior in addition to defence ministers, the Afghan spy main in addition to General Nicholson listened to angry local leaders who demanded accountability in addition to blamed Islamic Republic of Iran for the attacks. Last year, senior Afghan state of war machine officials claimed to have got evidence that Islamic Republic of Iran was providing weapons to the Taliban inwards western provinces bordering Iran.
Water War
Without naming Iran, Defense Minister Bahrami made it absolutely clear that Kabul sees Tehran behind the unrest. “Farah’s state of war is an absolute in addition to a precise state of war over H2O management,” he said. “Since Salma dam completion [in the neighboring Herat Province], in addition to an early on move launch on Bakhshabad dam, nosotros have got been inwards this hostility, but it is our correct to cope our water,” Bahrami emphasized (Pajhwok News, May 20).
Water appears to hold upwardly i of the factors prompting Tehran’s Shia clerical regime to forthwith back upwardly Afghanistan’s hardline Sunni Taliban movement, despite nearly going to state of war against it inwards the 1990s.
“We cannot stay indifferent to the trial [water dams], which is plainly damaging our environment,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared final year. “Construction of several dams inwards Afghanistan, such every bit Kajaki, Kamal Khan, Salma, in addition to others inwards the due north in addition to due south of Afghanistan, behavior on our Khorasan in addition to Sistan-Baluchistan provinces,” he said (Gandhara RFE/RL, July 31, 2017).
Back inwards belatedly 2001, Tehran had welcomed in addition to supported the U.S.-led state of war machine performance that toppled the Taliban regime. As nearly NATO troops withdrew from Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan inwards belatedly 2014, Tehran recalibrated its approach in addition to began extending covert back upwardly to the Taliban. The emergence of Islamic State (IS) militants inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan inwards 2015 cemented this alliance to an extent that the Taliban leader, Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, was killed inwards a U.S. airstrike inwards southwestern Islamic Republic of Pakistan inwards May 2016, every bit he returned from visiting Iran.
Mansur had publicly warned IS against operating inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan inwards 2015. It is non a coincidence that IS was never able to found a foothold inwards Afghan provinces bordering Iran. Later that year, Mohammad Reza Behrami, Iran’s envoy inwards Kabul, acknowledged that Tehran maintains contacts alongside the Taliban but insisted that the 2 practise non have got a “real relationship” (Tasnim News Agency, Dec 20, 2016).
In a May nineteen interview alongside Afghanistan’s soul Ariana News TV, Behrami acknowledged that Tehran has contacts alongside the Taliban but rejected that his province supported the fighting inwards Farah. “In general, nosotros oppose the [United States’] presence inwards whatever of the Islamic countries. It has been clear in addition to nosotros have got already announced it,” he said (Ayrana News, May 19). “Regarding Afghanistan, nosotros abide by the decisions taken yesteryear Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan officials. We have got reached an understanding alongside Afghan authorities that our respective territory volition non hold upwardly used against each other.”
He insisted that all of Tehran’s contacts alongside the Taliban are aimed at supporting Kabul’s efforts to negotiate peace alongside the insurgents. “All regional countries have got such contacts [with the Taliban] … No province has severed this contact. It is because all of us desire to play a positive in addition to constructive role … But a few points should hold upwardly adhered to inwards the efforts [to pick out the Taliban to the negotiating table]. First, the authorities of Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan is the main pivot. [Second], government-to-government ties should non hold upwardly affected. Third, the negotiations should hold upwardly betwixt the authorities in addition to others,” Behrami said (Ayrana News, May 19).
Tehran’s role inwards the Taliban operations inwards western Afghanistan, however, appears to have got divided the movement’s leadership. Abdul Qayum Zakir, the quondam overstep Taliban state of war machine commander, was i of the start Taliban leaders to have got visited Islamic Republic of Iran to found a covert human relationship alongside Tehran (Jamestown, June 2015). But inwards a recent pamphlet attributed to him, he criticized the Farah offensive, declaring it to hold upwardly an independent first of Mullah Manan Liwanai, the Taliban commander inwards neighboring Helmand province, in addition to i that had non been approved yesteryear the movement’s leadership.
“The recent clashes, which happened inwards Farah, have got caused huge casualties on the mujahideen [Taliban], in addition to this willful activeness was carried out yesteryear the Taliban’s governor for Helmand, Mullah Manan Liwani,” the pamphlet said (Arman-e Milli, translated yesteryear BBC Monitoring, May 27).
Outlook
Kabul sees Tehran’s influence behind the recent clashes inwards Afghanistan’s Farah province, alongside Islamic Republic of Iran working the Taliban to its payoff to secure command of local resources, peculiarly water.
It is probable that the U.S. withdrawal from the Islamic Republic of Iran nuclear bargain inwards May has given Tehran an added incentive to back upwardly the Taliban inwards Afghanistan, inwards the hope of putting farther pressure level on Washington.
Going forward, Tehran’s Shia clerical regime in addition to Afghanistan’s Sunni Taliban insurgents are unlikely to smasher a long-term feasible strategic alliance, but covert cooperation betwixt the 2 is expected to play a role inwards fomenting insecurity inwards western in addition to southern Afghanistan, spell posing a continued threat to the U.S. in addition to NATO state of war machine presence inwards the country.
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