Ahmad Massoud Participates In Conference In Moscow, Russia - November 23, 2023

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the "National Resistance Front of Afghanistan" (NRF) met with several Afghan anti-Taliban politicians in Moscow. The core of Massoud's statement was that "Afghanistan has turned into a suffocating black hole and a dark impasse for its people and transformed into a secure haven for terrorism, extremism, and criminal groups" in the last two years with the domination of the Taliban.

In picture (from left to right): Zakaria Mashkur Kabuli, Ahmad Massoud, Sergey Mironov, Mohammad Mohaqiq in Moscow on 23 November 2023

Referring to the lack of inclusiveness of the Taliban government and its strict Islamic laws, Massoud stressed in his speech that Afghanistan "today is governed by a medieval system" and has become "Talibanistan".

A meeting called "Afghanistan between the past and the future" was hosted by the 'A Just Russia – For Truth' (SRZP), which holds 20% of the seats in the Russian parliament, on 23 November 2023 in Moscow. The leader of this party, Sergey Mironov, who had already met Massoud on 29 August 2023, also participated in this political gathering.

Several figures from the main opposition parties to the Taliban joined the conference, such as:

-Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the "National Resistance Front of Afghanistan" (NRF)

-Fawzia Koofi, former member of the Afghan Parliament

-Shukria Barakzai, former member of the Afghan Parliament 

-Amrullah Saleh, the former vice president of Afghanistan and a prominent critic of the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the USA

-Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan

-Zakaria Mashkoor Kabuli, Afghan political activist and Shia cleric located in Germany

as well as various other socio-political activists of Afghanistan.

For pictures see below.

They expressed their opinions about the current situation in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. "Afghanistan's National Resistance Front" called the Moscow meeting as "Russia's interest in stability in Afghanistan and the establishment of an all-inclusive political process in the fight against extremism and terrorism."

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front, reminded the participants that the Taliban "have not fulfilled any commitments except their contract with the United States. Afghanistan has become a dark and ambiguous land for its people and a paradise for extremism, terrorism and criminal groups." Moreover, he complained in his harsh words against the Taliban: "Afghanistan has no constitution, no legitimacy, no national flag due to the domination of the Taliban, half of the population is deprived of all human affairs under the name of religion and the wrong understanding of Sharia, and the country's economy is about to collapse."

In this meeting, the political opponents of the Taliban demanded the support of the countries of the region and the world to achieve a solution to the Afghan crisis. They emphasized that Afghanistan is a diverse country consisting of different ethnic groups, different languages, and different political and religious groups, and requested the countries of the region and the United Nations to hold a meeting on creating a new political structure in Afghanistan, where all ethnic groups and religions can live and be present under its umbrella.

Massoud suggested a referendum to determine the nature of the system in Afghanistan and called for the creation of an umbrella for different political groups. Mohammad Mohaqiq, who spoke from the address of the National Resistance Council, which consists of parties and groups opposed to the Taliban, said that the policy of interaction with the Taliban group in the past two years has not been useful. Massoud concluded that “A government that shows no mercy to its own people will never show mercy to the region and the world".

Following that meeting, Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman of the Taliban, called the participants of that meeting as 'burned characters' and accused Russia of creating unrest in Afghanistan.

Some of the pictures of the participants of the meeting in Moscow on 23 November 2023:

Ahmad Massoud during his speech

Fawzia Koofi during her speech

Shukria Barakzai during her speech

The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran propagated in favor of the Taliban and claims that they have worked with regional powers to fight ISIS