Afghan Commander Joins Taliban in Faryab
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A commander and his forces in Afghanistan’s northern province of Faryab have joined the Taliban, local officials said.
A public uprising commander, Ghulam Nabi Shuja, has joined the anti-government insurgent groups with a hundred of his men in Dara Zang area of Garziwan district, Ariana News quoted local officials as saying on Sunday.
According to Sebghatullah Sailab, deputy head of Faryab Provincial Council, the uprising commander has joined the Taliban due to personal feud with the district governor.
The two sides have been involved in violent clashes over the leadership of the area, while the central government has failed to take any action, he added.
In separate comments, provincial police spokesman, Abdul Karim Yourish, told Ariana that the defected commander’s alliance with the Taliban would not undermine Afghan forces in the area.
“Based on intelligence reports, he never had a hundred men. The local commander was not registered under the public uprising forces and more likely he is having 10 to 15 militants,” Yourish added.
The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated noticeably in recent months. The radical Taliban movement, which had previously seized considerable territory in rural areas of the country, has launched an offensive against large cities. Additionally, the influence of Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) has increased in the country.
Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government security forces fighting the Taliban. The instability has persisted in the country since the US launched a military operation in 2001 to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks.