Taliban’s New Strategy: Targeting Former Military Personnel amid Rising Tensions with Pakistan

Local sources in northern and central provinces report the suspicious process of gathering the profiles of the former government’s military personnel by the Taliban’s intelligence service. Experts warn that the Taliban, fearing a possible conflict with Pakistan, intend to use these forces as human shields or prevent them from joining resistance fronts…

Suspicious Call in Northern and Central Afghanistan

Reliable local sources in the northern and central provinces of the country report the beginning of a new and worrying process by the Taliban’s security agencies. According to reports from Badakhshan, Takhar, Faryab, Ghazni, Bamyan, and Daykundi provinces, the Taliban’s intelligence departments have systematically identified and registered the identities of the soldiers and officers of the previous government. According to local residents, the Taliban, through the distribution of special forms to village and neighborhood development councils, have requested local elders to record the precise details and addresses of all those who have a history of working in the security institutions of the republic and submit them to the intelligence service. The apparent excuse for this action is registration to obtain new jobs.

The Role of Former Generals in the New Plan

Reports indicate that in the central regions of the country, the direct responsibility for this sensitive process has been entrusted to Ghulam Ali Wahdat. He, who is now a member of the High Commission of Shiites under the supervision of the Taliban’s intelligence service, is an experienced general who has been involved in military structures from the communist government era to the republican period and now in the Islamic Emirate, and according to critics, has always changed positions with changes in regimes.

Fear of War with Pakistan and the Human Shield Scenario

Military analysts and political experts believe that this sudden action stems from the recent increasing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. According to these experts, the Taliban leaders, understanding the possibility of broader border conflicts and proxy wars, are trying to use the trained former soldiers as military tools. Two main hypotheses are raised in this regard: First, the Taliban intend to use these individuals forcibly in the front lines and as human shields in the event of an all-out war with Pakistan. Second, this is a precautionary measure to prevent these specialized soldiers from joining resistance fronts that are likely to be equipped by Pakistan.

Absolute Distrust and History of Assassination

These actions take place at a time when numerous reports of targeted assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and torture of former soldiers have been published in Kabul and northern provinces over the past year. Two former government soldiers, who are still in the country, described this plan as very concerning and a dangerous trap. They pointed to their bitter experience of previous cooperations, saying: Taliban fighters previously called us untrustworthy, impure, and mercenaries and removed us from our duties. Now that they do not even have a sufficient budget to provide bread for their forces, how is it possible for them to sincerely seek to hire us? The increase in these movements has created a wave of fear among the families of former soldiers and heightened concerns about the potential for mass disappearances or security abuses against this vulnerable group.