Atta Muhammad Nur's office denies media reports of him joining the Taliban* or the Haqqani Network*
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, March 18 - Sangar, Qari Ahmad. Earlier, the media reported that the leader of the Islamic Society of Afghanistan, as a sign of goodwill, sent a group of his commanders and close politicians to Balkh province and is also preparing to return.
Qari Qudratullah Hurmat, his assistant, denied the news in a phone call to website Sangar, saying there were no deals or negotiations between the leader of the Islamic Society and the Taliban or the Haqqani network.
“Foreign intelligence is behind all these rumors, the purpose of which is to destroy the reputation of Mr. Atta because they know perfectly well that he is an independent figure and not someone’s protege. Unfortunately, some of our Tajiks, consciously or unconsciously, pour water into this mill and do not understand that this is all done to split the anti-Taliban resistance forces on the eve of the spring battles,” he said.
Earlier media reported that Ustad Attamohammad Nur secretly met with representatives of the Haqqani network of the Taliban in Turkey and, as a sign of goodwill, sent a number of his commanders and close politicians from Iran to Mazar-e-Sharif, including the well-known commander Alamkhan Azadi, Haji Shah Mohammad, a former member provincial council, Amir Sultan, former chief of the organized crime department; and Haji Sarvarbay, father of Haji Khasibullah Qureishi, former chief of police in Balkh.
Haji Ismail Azadi, the son of Alamkhan Azadi, told Sangar that his father did not go abroad after the fall of Mazari Sharif to the Taliban and came to Iran for a short time for treatment, and recently returned to his homeland.
“He has reached a certain age, hence, is not engaged in political or military activities and lives with his family in Mazar-i-Sharif. These groundless rumors are a provocation,” he said.
According to media reports, the purpose of Ustad Attamohammad Nur's "secret meetings" with the Taliban is to return his assets in Balkh, and in return, he promised to help the Taliban in their official recognition as the representative of the Tajiks in their government.
His assistant said that the leader of the Islamic Society has never made deals with anyone for property or money and does not need finance.
“All our lives we have been fighting for our great ideal - the freedom and independence of the Motherland. Such provocations are not being exaggerated for the first and last time, and such antics will never be able to break our will. Time will put everything in its place,” said Qari Qudratulla.
Ustad Attamohammad Noor, former governor of Balkh (2004-2018), was one of the top commanders of Ahmad Shah Masoud during the years of jihad and the First Resistance. After the fall of the Taliban in 2004, he took power in the key city of the North - Mazar-i-Sharif and eventually turned into one of the prominent Tajik politicians and the most influential leaders in northern Afghanistan, for which he received the nickname "Emperor of the North".
On August 14 last year, after the fall of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, he left Afghanistan for Uzbekistan and then for the United Arab Emirates. He now lives in Dubai.
*The organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.
