Taliban and ISIS are fighting against Mahdi Mujahid

The Taliban has secured the support of ISIS militants in the fight against the former commander of the Taliban army, ethnic Hazara Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid, in the Afghan province of Sar-e Pol.

Photo: Internet

As reported by the Afghan publication “8am,” when Taliban militants of Uzbek origin refused to engage in combat against Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid in Sar-e Pol province, the Taliban turned to ISIS for assistance.

The Taliban surrounded the Balkhab area from three sides, where the Hazara commander Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid is based.

Sources informed the publication that last night, ISIS militants, in coordination with the Taliban, attacked the Balkhab area from the direction of Jowzjan province. The fighting lasted for about three hours.

The militants under the command of Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid have established a security perimeter around the Balkhab area and are on high alert to prevent further Taliban attacks.

It is reported that Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid was previously one of the loyal commanders of the Taliban. However, when the Taliban movement attempted to remove the Hazara leader in his hometown and replace him with a Pashtun, he opposed this. As a result, fighting broke out between them.

While Afghan leaders of Hazara origin have been pushed out of the political arena of the country, Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid’s resistance to the Taliban is becoming a symbol of the struggle for rights for this ethnic minority, as well as for other minorities in general.

Since coming to power, the Taliban has consistently sought to appoint Pashtuns to key positions in cities and provinces. This discriminatory policy has led to growing discontent among non-Pashtun ethnic groups, including Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras.