Resistance attacks intensify ahead of the Loya Jirga, a large gathering of the Taliban*
KABUL, July 2 - Sangar, Farzam Kazemi. The group deployed some 12,000 troops to protect the site of the Loy Jirga.
According to the Sangar correspondent from Kabul, a gathering of Taliban religious scholars in Kabul, which lasted two days before the Loya jirga, was attacked several times by unidentified gunmen.
“The Afghan National Azadagan Front claimed responsibility for the attack by issuing an official statement, but the Taliban believe it was the work of ISIS*. According to evidence obtained by the Taliban, both the tricolor flag of the republic and the ISIS flag was found in the attackers' apartment. This attack interrupted a meeting of Taliban religious scholars, but after the attack was repelled and the attackers were killed, it resumed its work," he said.
A report published by the National Azadagan Front of Afghanistan says that the special forces of this front attacked a meeting of Taliban religious scholars in order to prevent its holding and the adoption of anti-human resolutions of the group.
“Over the past two days, special operations forces of the National Azadagan Front of Afghanistan have called on civilians not to participate in any Taliban events by distributing numerous leaflets in districts 17, 6, 5, 3, and 4 of Kabul city. Today (June 30), the front forces attacked three Taliban checkpoints in order to eliminate the leaders, patrons, and members of the Taliban terrorist group, ” the report says.
The National Front Azadagan said its forces attacked Taliban checkpoints in the Divanbegi, Red Crescent, and Kartai Mamurin districts in Kabul city, and fired rockets at the Loya Jirga building.
“According to our information, several members of the self-proclaimed Taliban cabinet and dozens of participants in a meeting of Taliban religious ulema were killed and injured by rockets inside the tent of the Loya Jirga. The Taliban airlifted their bodies from the former National Security Training Center in Qalai Wazir by helicopter to the Sesadbistar and Chorsadbistar hospitals in Kabul” the report says.
The Azadegan National Front reported the participation of 15 soldiers in this operation and the loss of two front fighters, and the wounded were taken to a safe place by their comrades and are under serious medical care.
Correspondent of Sangar from Kabul reports that sources close to the Taliban have confirmed the presence of the bodies of the three attackers of the Loya Jirga tent, filmed on video.
“There are rumors that Abdulhakim Haqqani, Qaziyulquzzat, or the head of the Taliban Supreme Court, as well as three other Badri special forces fighters, were also killed during this attack. But none of the Taliban sources officially or unofficially confirmed this information,” he said.
Mullah Haybatullah Akhundzada, the "Amir al-Mu'minin" of the Taliban, was reportedly present on the second day of the meeting of the Taliban ulema, but no photo or video of him was published in the media other than his voice. Until now, it is believed that Mullah Khaibatulla was killed several years ago, and his copy is acting instead. Yesterday he delivered his speech standing with his back, not facing the audience.
Meanwhile, the second day of the ulema meeting also did not pass without bloody incidents.
Correspondent Sangar reports that at around 5:00 pm on Friday, June 1, four rockets were fired at the Loya Jirga tent from the Kabul 5th Security District's Qambar Junction.
In another report, the Azadegan National Front reported on the explosion of a Taliban checkpoint in the Kutai Sangi area on Halabisazi Street, which was carried out by the front's special operations forces.
“When the Taliban reinforcements arrived, there was a second explosion. So far, 25 Taliban terrorists have been killed and wounded in these two explosions”, – the report says.
The Taliban said they were gas cylinder explosions.
Meanwhile, there are also reports of clashes between the Afghan National Resistance Front and the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley and Andrab, details of which will be provided later.
In the final minutes of this news release, the terrorist organization ISIS released a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks on both days of the Taliban ulema meeting. But this is not the first time that the Azadagan Front and ISIS have claimed responsibility for the same attack. They previously claimed responsibility for the attack on an event marking the anniversary of the death of Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban.
Assassination attempt on Mullah Yaqub: Azadagan Front, ISIS or Haqqani Network?
The Taliban convened the Loya Jirga, a large gathering of Afghanistan's ethnic leaders and clerics, to gain national legitimacy. Over the past two days, they have held a gathering of religious ulema and adopted the program of the Loya Jirga, which is expected to start on June 2, with the participation of more than 3,000 elders and ulema from all over Afghanistan.
The escalation of conflicts and attacks suggests that the anti-Taliban resistance fronts, even ISIL, are not accepting the Taliban Loya jirga, and it is suspected that the five days of the Loya jirga will not pass without unpleasant incidents for this group, which has blown up similar gatherings in the past.
* The organization is under UN sanctions or banned due to terrorist activities.
