Ata Mohammad Noor, one of the people behind the latest attempt by the Taliban to halt their advances by creating more militias told The Associated Press that Afghanistan's military is severely demoralized. According to him, the Afghan military was not prepared for the Taliban attack because Washington left so quickly.
He said in an interview that he didn't expect the Taliban to win so quickly in Mazar-e-Sharif in the northernmost city.
Noor said, "It was quite surprising that 19 Badakhshan districts surrendered to the enemy in less than 24 hours."
He stated that the Taliban might not be as numerous in certain areas, making it difficult for them to take over a district. However, the military surrendered their weapons and fled. Social media photos and reports show officials from Faizabad, the provincial capital, boarding the last commercial flight to Kabul. The Afghan capital is still in the government's hands.
Noor, 57 years old, is one of the key players in Afghanistan's new chapter. Many fear that it will be chaotic. Noor commands a personal militia of thousands of fighters. He was once Balkh's governor, the capital of which Mazar-e-Sharif holds. He is the head of Jamiat-e-Islami (one of Afghanistan's most powerful parties), and has considerable influence in the north.
Although they are nominally united against the Taliban, he is often a bitter rival. The potential for violent fragmentation is high with the government's weakness and insurgents growing.
Because the U.S.-allied warlords have traditionally ruled the north, the Taliban's capture and control of most of Badakhshan province was particularly important. It was the only provincial that was not under Taliban control between 1996 and 2001. It was once an important Jamiat-e-Islami province, home to Burhanuddin Rabbani (one of Noor’s predecessors), who was killed in a suicide bomber attack in 2011.
More than a third (321) of Afghanistan's 421 districts and center are now under the control of the insurgents. They also captured border crossings with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. This has opened up opportunities for the Taliban to make money and cut key transportation routes. On Thursday, the Taliban took control of the Islam Qala border crossing to Iran.
Noor was harsh in his critique of the infractious Afghan leadership. He said that it often left the army without reinforcements or food, and paid soldiers' salaries erratically. Noor said that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is governed by a small group of four people, which refers to his shrinking inner circle.
In a speech on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden supported the withdrawal and stated that it would be completed by August 31. He called for greater unity among Afghanistan’s leaders, stating that America has provided the Afghan government with the weapons, training, and tools it needs to survive.
Biden stated that the Afghan government and leadership must come together. They have the ability. They have the troops. They have the tools. They have the equipment. The question is, will they use it?
Noor stated that signs of dispirited military predated Biden’s mid-April announcement by the U.S. that it was ending its "forever War." He noted that Afghan army recruitment had already fallen by 60%, and that corruption was widespread.
He said, "We advised then the government that they needed to work on the morale and unity of the military. But they didn't listen."
Noor also criticised the Afghan government's fighting strategy. He said that the Afghan National Security and Defense forces leadership have overused their elite commando units. Noor said that they were sent into combat without adequate preparations for reinforcements or re-supply, and that they were also ordered to checkpoints, which is a job they're not qualified to do. He also said that Commandos weren't given adequate rest.
Noor stated that the Afghan air force is composed of well-trained pilots. However, the fleet was too frequently used and neglected. The result is that "most of the aircraft are back on the ground." He said that they cannot fly and that most of them have run out of ammunition.
Noor also called the U.S.'s quick departure irresponsible. He said that while Afghanistan was grateful for the manpower and money America invested in Afghanistan, it did not make Afghanistan self-sufficient.
Noor stated that "we needed factories to make our own ammunition, and workshops to repair aircraft and other vehicles given to us by the Afghan forces." "But international forces didn't work to create a foundation and a self-sufficiency for Afghanistan."
As the Taliban gained momentum earlier this year, Noor was among the first to call for the creation new militias.
Noor stated that the new militias were needed to boost army morale and fight the Taliban.
He acknowledged the dangers. He acknowledged the dangers in the 1990s when militias and warlords (including Noor) fought a civil battle that decimated Kabul and killed approximately 50,000 people.
"There is the real possibility of civil war. He said that this was a very serious possibility. He said it was a very dangerous possibility that Afghanistan's neighbours -- Pakistan, Iran and Russia -- would rekindle it. They all use Afghan factions in their pursuit of their own interests.
This new mobilization program adds more militias with uncertain loyalties to the existing mix of militias that have been maintained by Afghanistan's warlords since 1990.
They include Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum (accused of war crimes) and Gulbuddin Shekmatyar (ex-declared terrorist by the U.S.), who are currently in Kabul, and have been a bitter enemy for Noor's Jamiat-e-Islami over decades. Abdur Rasool Sayyaf's past militias were linked to the brutal crimes against the Hazara ethnic minority during the 1990s civil conflict. Religiously retrogressive Sayyaf had also close ties with al-Qaida and even ran training camps for the terrorist group in 1990.
He maintains a political office within a luxurious compound just a few kilometers from Noor's house. It is protected by armed guards as well as barricades. The lush greenery was home to a group of militiamen with assault rifles and machine guns. Habibullah Rahman, their leader, stated that they would follow Noor wherever he sent them and would accept his orders without reservation, referring to him simply as "the great commander".
He stated that they would defend Mazar-e-Sharif and would launch an offensive to retake Balkh province's districts currently under Taliban control. They were also ready to serve as Noor ordered.
