After seizing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban formed the “Commission for the Purification of the Ranks.” This commission evaluates the backgrounds of Taliban commanders and fighters based on “killings, duration of membership, and combat history,” assigning duties and privileges accordingly. However, findings from a report reveal that this commission is plagued by internal and ethnic conflicts. Many non-Pashtun Taliban fighters allege that their decisions are heavily influenced by language, ethnicity, location, and connections to senior group members.
The Taliban established this commission to streamline their ranks, reviewing the backgrounds of commanders and fighters to determine their entitlements. Yet, a report by the Hasht-e Subh Daily indicates that the commission operating in western Afghanistan is embroiled in internal disputes. Several non-Pashtun Taliban commanders accuse the commission of ethnic and linguistic bias.
According to the report, numerous Taliban commanders and fighters are dissatisfied with the Commission for the Purification of the Ranks. They warn that continuing these practices could provoke rebellion and chaos in various provinces.
Herat, a major city in western Afghanistan, has historically seen significant involvement from local Taliban commanders in terrorist activities during the previous government. These individuals also played key roles in the fall of neighboring provinces.
An audio clip obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily features “Sakhi Kullangi,” a local Taliban commander, expressing discontent with the Taliban’s Commission for the Purification of the Ranks. He warns of potential chaos and defection from the group’s ranks if the situation persists.
In the audio, Sakhi Kullangi claims that the head of the commission in Herat is a “murderer” who, despite the group’s general amnesty, killed at least three women in the Injil district. Kullangi accuses an individual named “Qari Zubair” of withholding his purification form and warns of inciting chaos in Herat if the issue remains unresolved.
He states in the audio: “Greetings to all ministers, representatives, and Mujahideen [Taliban fighters] of Afghanistan, especially those in Herat. This same Qari Zubair, we are not pleased with him following the order of [Hibatullah Akhundzada]. He is responsible for disregarding the general amnesty and has killed three people.” Kullangi continues, “I was a commander in Injil, and this [Qari Zubair] killed three people there. He murdered three women. What were their roles? What did they do? Now, this [Qari Zubair] is a murderer of three people.”
Kullangi insists that the Taliban have placed a murderer in charge of the Purification Commission in Herat. He emphasizes, “If he is not a murderer, let them bring me, and I will prove it to him.”
The local commander further claims that if the murder accusations against the commission head are not substantiated, he is prepared to leave the group and withdraw from public life. He adds that while most purification forms are processed promptly, his form has been withheld for over a year.
“This man goes to Farah for prayers, visits Helmand in the morning, and returns to Herat in the evening,” Kullangi remarks. “He has been holding my form for one and a half years. Why won’t he give it to me? Am I not a Mujahid [Talib]?”
In another part of the recording, Kullangi warns that if Qari Zubair does not release his form, he will incite unrest in Herat. “I am telling you now, inform this person to stop, or we will treat all the Mujahideen [Taliban] in Herat the same way. I will create chaos here; I will do something.”
Sources from Herat confirm that Sakhi Kullangi, a local Taliban commander, was involved in terrorist activities in Guzara, Injil, Pashtun Zarghun, and Zinda Jan districts during the previous government.
Meanwhile, video recordings from western provinces, including Ghor and Badghis, highlight Taliban fighters mocking the Commission for the Purification of the Ranks due to widespread dissatisfaction.
In one such video, reportedly filmed in Badghis, a group of Taliban fighters gathers in a room to satirize the purification process. They hold items like “brooms, sticks, teapots, water pitchers, and yellow barrels” as they theatrically sign and stamp papers, mimicking the completion of the purification process for a fellow fighter.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
تصفیه صفوف داخلی طالبان؛ «قاتلان» در رأس هستند و جنگجویان از هرجومرج هشدار میدهند | روزنامه ۸صبح
