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On February 8, 2024, a pro-Afghan Taliban media outlet published a Pashtu-language article, criticizing Iran for viewing Afghanistan as its sphere of influence or "property." The article, part of a new series of criticisms of Iran emerging in Afghanistan, follows a comment by the Iranian ambassador in Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that Ishtishhadi battalions from Afghanistan may go to fight in Palestine.
In an interview with the state-run Ufuq News of Iran, Ambassador Qomi had stated: "If there is... necessity, more than one brigade of martyrdom forces (suicide bombers) can go from Afghanistan to Gaza in support of Gaza... Afghanistan is farther away from Gaza. But what we see and observe in Afghanistan today is that Afghanistan is part of the Axis of Resistance."[1]
The Pashtu-language article is titled "Afghanistan Will No Longer Be The Center Of Proxy Wars" and published by Al-Mirsaad, a pro-Taliban multi-language digital platform linked to Taliban intelligence that emerged following the Taliban's victory in August 2021.[2]
The author of the article, Rahmatullah Faizan, says: "Iran has been playing a game of cat and mouse with Israel for years. If not, why do they condemn Israel's crimes in Palestine with only words?" About Iran's use of militias to protect its strategic interests in the Middle East, the author says: "Iran can use Istishhadiyan [martyrdom-seekers] for its economic interests in the Middle East. So why can't it give the order of war to Hezbollah in support of Palestine?"
Following are excerpts from the article, as translated from Pashtu:
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"The Root Of Such Statements Is The Fallacy That Says: Afghanistan Is The Property Of Iran"
"Afghanistan and Iran are without a doubt the heirs of a common civilization. Before the demarcation of official, clear, and fixed borders, many rulers governed the geography that is called Iran and Afghanistan today, and modern Iran is a part of historical Iran. Even after the borders were determined and the official border was drawn, a kind of thought remained in the minds of Iranians that: Afghanistan is the property of Iran.
"The natural inference is... that it will be the reason for the discomfort and reaction of Afghan people. If Afghanistan had chosen for itself like Persia (the name of Iran) in 1935, could it claim today to say: Persia of Iran was or is a part of Afghanistan?
"That sometimes Iranian diplomats and intellectuals make provocative and irresponsible statements about Afghanistan that smell of ownership, the root of such statements is the fallacy that says: Afghanistan is the property of Iran.
"Today, the conditions have changed a lot, the people of Afghanistan and Iran live in two independent countries that have different values and political systems and have their own geographical and economic borders. Only the Farsi language, common history, and the religion of Islam are three elements that can build relations between the people of the two countries – that's all.
"The ambassador and special representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Afghanistan, Mr. Hassan Kazemi Qomi, who is a veteran diplomat and has taken constructive steps in establishing relations between Afghanistan and Iran, is worthy of praise, but his latest provocative statements about Afghanistan are also rooted in the same thinking: Afghanistan is the property of Iran."
"What Must Be Said Clearly Is That Afghanistan Will No Longer Be The Center Of Proxy Wars"
"We must remind Mr. Qomi that Afghanistan has an independent country and a centralized system. This system also has a foreign policy institution called the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and in addition to this, it also has an official spokesperson named Zabihullah Mujahid. What must be said clearly is that Afghanistan will no longer be the center of proxy wars.
"The case of Palestine, and especially the Aqsa Sharif (the first Qibla [the direction toward which a Muslim turns to pray in Islam] of Muslims) in it, is a common case of the entire Islamic Ummah from a religious point of view, and Afghanistan is also a part of the Islamic Ummah. The current [Taliban-run] system of Afghanistan can feel the pain of the oppression of Palestine more than anyone. The position of the current government of Afghanistan in this regard is clear.
"I do not think that there will be a need for diplomats from other countries, especially Iranians, to express their views on Afghanistan's foreign policy. Iran has been playing a game of cat and mouse with Israel for years. If not, why do they condemn Israel's crimes in Palestine with only words? They also have Istishhadi [martyrdom-seeking] battalions; have they sent any Istishhadi battalions there yet in support of Palestine?
"Iran can use Istishhadiyan [martyrdom-seekers] for its economic interests in the Middle East. So why can't it give the order of war to Hezbollah in support of Palestine, which is strong and stable in every way in the region?"
