The Taliban have punished an Afghan citizen for his meetings with Russian diplomats in Kabul.
Author: Andrey Serenko, head of the Center for the Study of Afghan Politics (Russia)
Russian officials and politicians have recently been actively demonstrating their readiness to cooperate with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. If you listen to some of them, the Taliban in Moscow's mind look like friends and allies of the Kremlin, and not just "adequate men," as one of the Russian diplomats once called them in an enthusiastic fervor.
But what is the reality? Do the Taliban themselves perceive Russia as their ally?
In our opinion, the answer to this question is provided by one interesting document that came into our possession.
This document was issued by the Taliban's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) on November 18, 2024, and was sent to the administration of the main Afghan prison Pul-e-Charkhi. It contains the names of six Afghan citizens convicted of various crimes and being sent to Pul-e-Charkhi prison to serve their sentences.
Number "4" in this document is Khan Mohammad, son of Bakht Mohammad, who, according to the accompanying clarification of the head of the 089 Department of the Taliban GUR, Maulavi Habibullah, was sentenced to 10 years in prison "for cooperation with the special services of the Russian Federation".
Interestingly, the Russian agent Khan Mohammad received the longest prison term, compared to other convicts whose names appear in the official letter of Maulavi Habibullah. For example, Nur Mohammad, son of Mulham, Najibullah, son of Bismilla, and Merzad Haji, son of Shirinzoy, who were sent to Pul-e-Charkhi prison along with Khan Mohammad for kidnapping, were sentenced to 7 and 8 years in prison.
As follows from the letter of Maulavi Habibullah, the criminal case against Khan Mohammad, accused of spying for Russia, has been fully completed, and there is a final court decision. Now his fate will be handled by the Pul-e-Charkhi prison administration, which the Taliban's GUR has instructed to ensure the execution of the sentence.
We do not know whether the Russian Foreign Ministry or Russian special services are aware of this story. If necessary, we are ready to provide representatives of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), or the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian Federation with a photocopy of this document of the Taliban's GUR dated November 18, 2024. Because we believe that if Khan Mohammad really was a Russian agent, then the relevant services of the Russian Federation should be concerned about his fate.
The conviction of an Afghan citizen by the Taliban for spying for Moscow, in our opinion, best testifies to the Taliban's real attitude towards cooperation with Russia. According to our sources, Khan Mohammad met with representatives of the Russian embassy in Kabul only a few times. And he got 10 years in prison for it. Even the kidnappers in the Taliban emirate got shorter sentences...
The next time you hear from some Russian politician, official, diplomat, expert, or journalist that "the Taliban are friends and allies of Russia", remember the story of Russian agent Khan Mohammad. He sends warm greetings to all these fantasists from Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
*Privet (rus) - “Hello”
