Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, son of Tajik Mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud have already called to challenge Taliban.
As the US troops pullout caught pace, in no time the Taliban was able to defeat the Afghan forces and take control over the country. However, even though they were able to dethrone the Ashraf Ghani government, they are yet to take control over all the provinces of the country. Panjshir, the bastion of the Northern Alliance is still not under its control and the Taliban is facing resistance from the Tajik fighters.
Winning the war may be just the easiest part for the Taliban as maintaining peace and governing the conflict-torn and economically impoverished country will be a huge task for them. The Taliban are good fighters. But how they will govern this diverse country with almost negligible modern infrastructure, is something to look out for.
Another problem the Taliban will face is that now with a negligible number of security forces left it needs to keep the whole country under its control. The Taliban easily seized a large number of districts, but holding on to major cities will require significant amounts of manpower.
Taliban itself has gone through inside conflicts in the past. The biggest change now with the Taliban is to form an inclusive and stable government to avoid another civil war for which it needs to include influential warlords and representatives from ethnic Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Hazara communities.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, son of Tajik Mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud have already called to challenge Taliban rule. In such a scenario, there are some seasoned leaders that the Taliban needs to have on boards. We take a look at them.
1. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Former Prime Minister
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The 72-year-old former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is presently in discussions with the Taliban leaders. His close links with Pakistan's intelligence agencies make him an important player in Afghanistan's politics and the formation of a new Taliban government.
Hekmatyar has been both an ally and an enemy of the Taliban over the last 25 years. He was one of the Mujahideen fighters who were trained by the US during the Cold War era to fight the Soviet Union in the 1980s. He has been sanctioned by the US as a 'specially designated global terrorist' after close links with al-Qaeda.
(Image Source: Reuters)
2. Hamid Karzai, Former President
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The 63-year-old former Afghan President Hamid Karzai is one of the key negotiators with the Taliban on the formation of the new government. He was termed as the US chosen President of Afghanistan whom the Taliban wanted to kill. However, during the later part of his presidential term, he fell out with the US over its use of drones and his refusal to sign a security pact that would've let US troops stay beyond 2014.
(Image Source: Reuters)
3. Abdullah Abdullah, doctor-turned-politician
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The 60-year-old doctor-turned-politician Abdullah Abdullah was once an adviser to the leader of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who fought the Russians and the Taliban. An ethnic Tajik, Abdullah now is negotiating a peaceful transfer of power with the Taliban.
(Image Source: Reuters/Centre-right)
4. Abdul Rashid Dostum, Former Vice President
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The 67-year-old Uzbek warlord leader and former Vice President of Afghanistan, Abdul Rashid Dostum's current location is unknown after he flee once the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif was taken over by the Taliban.
Once part of the Northern Alliance, he fought the Taliban during their rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Dostum backed Ashraf Ghani government and was the Vice President for six years from 2013. He has been accused of war crimes but denied all charges and spent several years in Turkey.
(Image Source: Reuters)
5. Amrullah Saleh, Acting President of Afghanistan
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The 48-year-old former Vice President and caretaker President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh did not flee the country when the Taliban took over. Presently, Saleh is in the northern Panjshir valley, his stronghold where he is helping Tajik leader Ahmad Massoud in his fight against the Taliban. Amrullah Saleh joined the Ashraf Ghani government in 2017 as interior minister and also led Afghanistan's intelligence agency.
(Image Source: Reuters)
6. Ahmad Massoud, Rebel Leader
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The 32-year-old Tajik rebel leader Ahmad Massoud is the son of 'Sher of Panjshir' Ahmad Shah Massoud who laid the foundation of the Northern Alliance. It is expected that he could emerge as the face of the resistance against the Taliban.
(Image Source: Reuters)
7. Ata Mohammad Noor, Provincial Leader
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The 57-year-old Provincial Leader Ata Mohammad Noor is an ethnic Tajik leader who fought wars in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion and was among the Taliban's fiercest enemies. Ata Mohammad Noor has been calling for new militias and a people's uprising to fight the Taliban militants. Currently, he is in Uzbekistan.
He was the Governor of the most prosperous northern Balkh province, in Afghanistan until he was removed by Ashraf Ghani in 2018.
(Image Source: Wion News)
8. Mohammad Karim Khalili, Hazara Leader
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The 71-year-old Hazara Leader Mohammad Karim Khalili is the former Vice President of Afghanistan. He belongs to the minority Hazara ethnic group from Panjshir. Khalili was part of the delegation of senior Afghan politicians who went to Pakistan after the Taliban's August 15 takeover of Kabul.
(Image Source: Twitter@Khalili_af)
