RASC News Agency: Following the suppression of public protests by the Taliban in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan’s Jamiat-e Islami party claims that cooperation between local Taliban members and the group is equivalent to “selling out” and betraying the residents of the province. In a statement released on Saturday night, May 4, on its Facebook page, the Jamiat-e Islami party stated that the people of Badakhshan “will not forget the betrayal of local Taliban elements against the province’s residents.”
The statement reads: “Jamiat-e Islami’s message to local Taliban elements is clear: the group brings only destruction, bloodshed, anti-intellectualism, extremism, and enmity against the culture and identity of the people. Therefore, collaboration with the group in the oppression and injustice against the people is a clear act of selling out and betrayal, and Badakhshan residents will never forget such treachery.” The political party added that the Taliban lack any legitimate or benevolent intentions toward the people beyond “their tyrannical and self-serving agenda.”
The statement continues: “Contrary to the Taliban’s deceptive narratives and justifications, the sole reason for the brave protests in Badakhshan against the group is the oppression, injustice, and ethnocentric discrimination they have faced.” Jamiat-e Islami emphasized that repressing the people will not aid the Taliban in “imposing their oppressive rule.”
Public protests against the Taliban in Badakhshan province began on Friday, May 3, following the killing of a tribal elder by the group’s members. During these protests, one young man was killed by Taliban gunfire, and at least 10 other civilians were injured. On Saturday, May 4, the Taliban sent fresh troops to Badakhshan province to suppress the protests.
