Media outlets close to the Taliban terrorist group reported the creation of Tehreek-e-Taliban Tajikistan under the leadership of a man named Mehdi Arsalan (in the photo). What do America, Pakistan, and Arab countries want?
Author: Omar Mohammadi, analyst, especially for Sangar
The Taliban* is ideologically no different from ISIS*, Al-Qaeda*, and other terrorist groups. All these groups believe that the existing borders between the countries and peoples of our region are colonial and forced lines between "one Muslim nation" that must one day be eliminated.
Although the Afghan Taliban were unable or unwilling for a long time to transcend ethnic (Pashtun) boundaries and make their movement trans-ethnic and transnational, this does not mean abandoning the ideology that the Taliban share with other terrorist groups.
It can be said that with the advent of ISIS, the Taliban have become more enthusiastic and tempted to join the "campaign to expand the territory of religious power", which is considered the main part of the ideology of terrorist groups originating from radical political Islam. The reason for this is that, on the one hand, the Taliban do not want to join this campaign and consider the militant and jihadist motivation of their forces exhausted, and also fear that other rival terrorist groups will prey on their forces under the pretext of expanding the territory of Islam. On the other hand, countries that support the Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qaeda (Pakistan allied with America, the UK, some NATO members, and the Gulf countries), strengthen and develop terrorist groups through their intelligence networks, need a developmentalist and globalist ideology.
In fact, Western countries need an expansionist ideology to achieve their expansionist goals in Asia and Africa. The ideology of political Islam, which puts at the forefront of its goals the expansion of the territory of "the dominion of Allah" and considers sacred jihad (war) with the use of any force to achieve this goal, is desirable for countries with expansionist thinking and ready to support this motive and provide comprehensive support.
In other words, in the new century, when various political ideologies have lost their attraction for inciting people to war, the ideology of political Islam, which claims to expand the territory of religious power, has received special attention from powerful countries of the West and Gulf, and they are trying to take advantage of it. Every war needs ideas and tools. Terrorist groups extract ideas from religion, while Western and Gulf countries provide the tools (weapons, ammunition, money, military training, etc.).
According to the above points, the formation of a group called Tehreek-e-Taliban Tajikistan (TTT) under the leadership of Mehdi Arslan was/is predictable. The Taliban and every other terrorist group need a war to survive. The Taliban gained power in Afghanistan without war, and now many representatives of this group consider themselves useless and want to lay down their arms. Another war must be started under the pretext of religion and Islam so that the Taliban can mobilize and restore the motivation and faith in the war in their ranks. To do this, it is necessary that other groups with the prefix and suffix "Taliban" appear in the region.
Since the signing of the Doha Agreement between the Afghan Taliban and the United States, the Taliban have reportedly signed secret agreements with terrorist groups under their patronage, such as Jamaat Ansarullah*. And on the basis of these agreements, the Afghan Taliban pledged not only not to interfere with the activities of other terrorist groups if they acquire political power, but also to help them establish their own religious governments on their lands (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Kazakhstan, etc.). The formation of the Tajik Taliban movement is part of the previous agreements that are being implemented.
According to reports, Mehdi Arslan*'s group currently numbers more than 300 fighters. The Afghan Taliban recently placed Arslan, the leader of the Jamaat Ansarullah terrorist group, in charge of securing five districts near the Tajik border. These groups are recruiting new members and preparing for war in Central Asia.
Given this, if the governments of Central Asia do not wake up from hibernation and do not take serious measures to prevent the expansion of the territory of the Taliban rule, sooner or later they will face riots and crises, which will be very difficult for them to control.
*The organization is under UN sanctions or banned due to terrorist activities.
** "Mahdi Arsalan" aka Mohammad Sharipov, a resident of the Nurabad region of Tajikistan, has never been the leader of Jamaat Ansarullah. The leader of this terrorist group is a man named "Salman", also a citizen of Tajikistan. Mehdi Arsalan should be grateful for its fame to the American media, on the basis of information and "PR" of which Western intelligence agencies paid attention to it.
