The Swiss Institute for Global Affairs (SIGA) reported details of secret negotiations between the government of Tajikistan and the government of Afghanistan, widely known as the “Taliban,” regarding the elimination of “Ansorullo,” a long-time opponent of the Tajik government. This armed organization consists of citizens of Tajikistan, organized by Amriddin Tabarov, a former opposition commander who refused to accept the terms of the 1997 peace agreement, and is based in Afghanistan.
SIGA reports that the first meeting between Tajik and Afghan authorities took place on November 8, 2023. Representatives of the “Taliban,” led by Rahmatullo Najib, the second deputy of the “Taliban” secret police, arrived in Tajikistan. The Tajiks asked their Afghan counterparts to extradite members of “Ansorullo” to Tajikistan; however, the representatives of the “Taliban” decided to facilitate a meeting between Tajikistan and “Ansorullo.” The group consists of 200-300 people, and the group’s leader, Mahdi Arsalon, recently “disappeared,” and his further fate remains unknown.
The “Taliban” held meetings with representatives of the group, who presented their conditions for negotiations with the Tajik authorities. These include: “The establishment of an Islamic state, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Tajikistan, the release of members of ‘Ansorullo’ from prisons, and the establishment of Islamic madrasas on the territory of Tajikistan.” It is evident that the group is aware of the impossibility of their conditions being met by the Tajik authorities, and therefore they have set them.