Taliban woo minority groups ahead of intra-Afghan peace talks
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While consolidating their military and diplomatic gains, the Taliban are trying to secure the support of communities they fought in the past in order to present themselves as a national movement. For the first time, the militia has appointed a Shia from the ethnic Hazara community as its shadow district chief. The surprise move came ahead of the intra-Afghan peace talks.
The hardline Sunni militia was blamed for persecuting the minority sectarian group during its stint in power that lasted until the fall of Kabul in November 2001. The Hazaras, who are of Mongolian descent, largely inhabit central Afghan provinces and have significant presence in capital Kabul.
The Taliban last week released a video of Mawlavi Mahdi, the newly-appointed shadow district chief of the group for northern Sar-e Pul province. Mahdi urged his community members to join the insurgent group in fighting against the “Jewish and Christian invaders” while referring to the US forces.
While the Hazaras constitute only nine percent of the Afghan population, the community’s support is viewed to be significant ahead of the intra-Afghan talks to discuss the future political arrangement of the war-ravaged country following the withdrawal of American troops. The insurgent group has also taken visible steps to assuage Hazara concerns about its anti-Shia bias.
The Taliban have traditionally relied on ethnic Pashtuns, but they have now started recruiting members of other ethnic groups with an expansion of their area of influence. Over the years, the insurgent group has made significant inroads in the non-Pashtun belt in northern Afghanistan and has now several Tajik and Uzbek commanders in its ranks.
By recruiting members of the Shia Hazara community, the Taliban are trying to present themselves as multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian organization in order to make themselves politically acceptable. They have positioned themselves as a national movement capable of replacing the current Afghan government.
The changing ethnic profile of the group is evident by the fact that non-Pashtuns now constitute one-quarter of the Taliban leadership council and its various commissions. Members of ethnic minorities also occupy important positions of provincial and district shadow governors and zonal commanders.
By recruiting members of the Shia Hazara community, the Taliban are trying to present themselves as multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian organization in order to make themselves politically acceptable. They have positioned themselves as a national movement capable of replacing the current Afghan government.
Zahid Hussain
The Taliban have made a clear shift toward recruiting from other ethnic groups which have assumed positions in the Taliban leadership and key posts in provinces. In an effort to broaden its support base in northern Afghanistan, the insurgent group is now more accommodating to non-Pashtuns and giving them more operational autonomy.
Moreover, the Taliban have also been exploiting the fractious ethnic landscape in northern Afghanistan to win over disgruntled tribal chiefs who feel marginalized by the Kabul government in terms of political representation.
Some of them have also joined the Taliban for protection since they cannot rely on the Afghan security forces anymore. The Taliban approach has paid off, with an increasing number of minority ethnic groups joining the militant faction.
The Taliban have been using the peace deal with the United States to its advantage to woo regional warlords. With the withdrawal of US forces almost imminent, joining the Taliban has once again become a serious option for many people and groups in Afghanistan.
While the ongoing power struggle has further weakened the Kabul government’s position, the Taliban are much more united. Increasing international recognition has given the militia greater confidence. Some warlords and power groups are striking separate deals with the Taliban which may further weaken the Kabul government’s position ahead of the intra-Afghan peace talks.
It is not just the minority ethnic and sectarian groups that the Taliban are trying to attract. Lamenting that Afghans have suffered enough in the relentless conflict, Taliban leaders have tried to assure the people that the militia will take all measures in partnership with other Afghans to make sure that the new Afghanistan is a bastion of stability where nobody feels threatened.
Whether or not the solemn declaration will satisfy the detractors, it does reflect a tangible shift in the thinking of the Islamist militia that rejected a pluralistic political process in the past. Perhaps the most significant point in the Taliban pledge is the recognition of female right to education and work.
The issue has been a major concern for Afghan women and rights groups who fear that the Taliban would try to reverse the progress made in the field of female education in Afghanistan in the last 18 years. In the past, the Taliban regime had completely banned women education and spurned their right to work.
However, it remains to be seen whether the militia sticks to its promise once the foreign forces leave Afghanistan. A declaration may help improve the environment for intra-Afghan talks for decisions regarding a post-US-exit scenario. But for a large section of Afghans, it is not enough.
– Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholar, USA, and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in Washington DC. He is author of Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with militant Islam (Columbia university press) and The Scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan (Simon and Schuster, NY). Frontline Pakistan was the book of the year (2007) by the WSJ.
Twitter: @hidhussain
