Many Uzbek citizens in Afghanistan argue that the Taliban’s ethnic biases have excluded them from political power, denying them a meaningful role in national decision-making. They criticize the Taliban’s mono-ethnic regime, which they claim has failed to provide any significant benefits to Uzbeks over the past three years. Instead, they say, the Taliban have forced competent Uzbek leaders and representatives out of the country through threats and coercion. Even Uzbeks who supported the Taliban and fought as commanders or fighters against the former republic and foreign forces now hold no authority in political, economic, or social matters, serving only symbolic roles within the group. The former deputy of the European Union’s special envoy to Afghanistan noted that these actions have prompted influential Uzbek figures to seek opportunities to form an independent force against the Taliban.
Tamkin, a 43-year-old Uzbek from Balkh province, shared her views with the Hasht-e Subh Daily on the Taliban’s discriminatory treatment of ethnic groups in Afghanistan. She said the Taliban have denied Uzbeks any political power. “The Taliban’s behavior has shaped perceptions to the point that when their regime is mentioned, only the Pashtun ethnicity comes to mind. High-ranking government positions, from ministries to even minor departments, are all dominated by Pashtuns. Uzbeks are overlooked, both in terms of ethnicity and the talent and qualifications of their youth and elders.”
Tamkin added, “The Taliban should have learned from their previous rule, avoided repeating past mistakes, and formed a government where the Afghan people could see their qualified representatives in leadership positions, supporting the establishment of an Islamic government.” He pointed out that the country is now under the control of a mono-ethnic regime, with other ethnic groups in Afghanistan not supporting it.
Mohammad Rozi, an Uzbek resident of Samangan province, echoed these sentiments, stating that the Taliban have done nothing to improve the lives of Uzbeks over the past three years. “The Taliban have not served the Uzbek people in any way. They threatened our elders, forcing them to flee the country, and made no positive contributions to education or higher learning. Uzbeks who fought alongside the Taliban against the republic and foreign forces now feel powerless and alienated under their rule,” he said. He further added, “This government lacks legitimacy and cannot be called inclusive. Our country needs a truly inclusive government where all ethnic groups participate in national decision-making, leading Afghanistan toward progress and prosperity.”
Uzbek dissatisfaction stems from the Taliban’s creation of a mono-ethnic government that has, over the past three years, fueled ethnic tensions and excluded other groups from political power, decision-making, and the country’s development. Many influential Uzbek representatives have been forced into hiding or exile outside Afghanistan.
Additionally, according to a report by the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), Uzbeks make up less than 3% of Taliban officials and hold no decision-making power, serving only symbolic roles in the regime.
In an interview on Monday, September 25, Michael Semple, the former deputy of the EU’s special envoy to Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban are using Uzbeks in Afghanistan as “tools of war and cannon fodder.” He explained that the Taliban use Uzbeks in symbolic roles to claim their government is inclusive falsely. “The Taliban neither grant Uzbeks privileges nor share power with them, and they do not value them. The presence of Uzbeks in high government positions has steadily diminished,” he said. Semple added that some influential Uzbeks critical of the Taliban are seeking opportunities to form an independent force against the group.
Semple’s remarks came shortly after the recent departure of Salahuddin Ayubi, an Uzbek Taliban commander, from the group. In 2022, Ayubi was appointed by the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, as the police chief of Zabul province.
Ayubi played a key role in the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan’s northern provinces and was one of the first individuals to enter Kabul after the fall of the republic, seizing the Presidential Palace. The Taliban have yet to comment on his departure.
Meanwhile, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, currently in Turkey, recently called for the formation of a parallel government to oppose the Taliban. He urged exiled Afghan political parties to unite and save Afghanistan from what he describes as the “Taliban occupation.”
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
طالبان و تعصبات قومی؛ اوزبیکها از داشتن نقش سمبولیک در رژیم طالبان ناراضیاند | روزنامه ۸صبح
