Amrullah Saleh, in a note published by the “Shabikhun” page on the X platform, called for regional strategic courage and urged countries to present their own solutions and distance themselves from NATO’s strategic ambiguity. He accused neighboring countries of supporting the Taliban and emphasized that the solution does not lie with the Taliban.
But this stance of his contradicts his political past. Has Amrullah Saleh ever had such strategic courage himself? During his political career, especially when he was in charge of the National Directorate of Security of Afghanistan, he was heavily dependent on foreign support. In many cases, he implemented security and intelligence policies in accordance with the guidelines of NATO and the United States of America.
During the Republic era, Saleh was one of the key figures in Afghanistan’s security structure. He not only benefited from NATO’s support but also played an active role in intelligence and operational cooperation with foreign forces. Therefore, if he speaks of regional independence today, he must explain why he was not pursuing such independence at that time.
During the republic, he himself, Ashraf Ghani, and other officials were among the most loyal to NATO. Amrullah Saleh and Ashraf Ghani were completely dependent on NATO during their rule. The Afghan security forces could not continue their operations without NATO’s support. Saleh was the coordinator of joint operations with NATO in many cases and used their information and equipment.
If NATO was ambiguous, then why did Saleh rule over the people under its protective shadow? Today, he accuses NATO of strategic ambiguity, but during his rule, he operated entirely under the shadow of that very NATO. He must explain why he ignored this ambiguity at that time and benefited from NATO’s support.
If Saleh talks about regional independence today, he must accept that the Afghan Republic system was a project dependent on the US and NATO. At that time, he not only did not criticize this dependency but was also one of the main implementers of Western policies in Afghanistan.
Saleh was one of the key figures in the security structure during the Republic era. Widespread corruption, severe dependence on the United States, and the inefficiency of the government apparatus were characteristics of the Republic. If it defends regional independence today, it must explain why it did not stand against corruption and dependency at that time.
Amrullah Saleh, during his ruling as head of the National Directorate of Security, directly collaborated with Western intelligence agencies. He coordinated with NATO in operations where some of our compatriots were unfairly targeted and provided them with security information.
During NATO’s presence in Afghanistan, Saleh was one of the defenders of NATO’s military operations. He had repeatedly emphasized that without NATO’s support, Afghanistan’s security forces would not be able to confront the Taliban.
During Ashraf Ghani’s administration, Saleh supported security agreements with the United States. He was one of the figures who emphasized the continuation of the American military presence in Afghanistan and considered their withdrawal a threat to the country’s security.
After the fall of Kabul, Saleh repeatedly criticized the withdrawal of NATO and the United States, considering it the cause of the republic’s collapse. In his statements, he accused NATO of betrayal, but he forgot that during his time in the system, he was completely dependent on the support of that very NATO.
Amrullah Saleh today speaks of regional strategic courage, but his political past shows that during the fallen regime, he was one of the most dependent figures on NATO and the United States. If he defends regional independence today, he must clarify why he did not stand against this dependency at that time and why he is recognized as one of the agents implementing Western policies in Afghanistan.
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