Written by: Shahram Atal
From the beginning of the republic’s collapse and the flight of politicians and self-proclaimed leaders of dissolved parties, the growing disagreements among these notorious figures were evident to everyone; disagreements that generally arose over privileges and securing their personal interests.
These disagreements remained at the level of verbal tensions for a while, until Maruf Ghulami, known as “Maruf Lang,” a commander close to Ismail Khan, the former warlord of Herat, was assassinated in his private home in the Iranian city of Mashhad. This assassination occurred just one week after his verbal altercation with Sher Ahmad Maldani at a meeting.
The escalation of verbal tensions to physical elimination was a serious warning sign for the Republic’s escapees, as they no longer had numerous guards or bulletproof vehicles to protect them from the fire of their enemies and opponents, unlike during the Republic.
The death of the Ghulami did not end these bloody confrontations. In the latest incident, Ikramuddin Saree, a high-ranking general from the Republic, was shot by unknown gunmen in Tehran on Wednesday evening, December 24th. He was injured and died while being transported to the hospital.
The killing of Saree once again exposed the deep divisions among the fleeing republicans; divisions that are now manifested not thru verbal clashes and insults, but thru gunfire, and physical elimination has become one of the main options facing opponents.
Although some figures from these parties tried to attribute this assassination to the current Afghan government, just like the killing of the Ghulami, numerous evidence prove the opposite and show that the main cause of this assassination was deep-rooted internal differences among these fronts.
The Voice of Hindukush has obtained numerous audio clips from leaders of the so-called resistance, freedom, and other opposition groups, which clearly reveal the depth of their internal distrust and conflicts. In one of these clips, Yasin Zia, the self-proclaimed leader of the so-called Freedom Front, calls his close associates “traitors” and speaks of his repeated complaints about their betrayal and misconduct, indicating that internal divisions within these fronts have reached their peak and even high-ranking individuals are not safe to them.
In another audio clip, Malik Tatar, the former commander of Takhar province, which was recorded the day before Saree’s death, explicitly warns General Saree and refers to internal disputes and accounts. He emphasizes that despite claims of convergence, different groups are incapable of creating genuine unity, and this situation has exacerbated tensions and conflicts; evidence suggests that the Saree’s assassination was not the result of foreign intervention, but rather the outcome of internal planning among the fronts and aimed at eliminating the potential threat posed by his popularity.
Furthermore, the confession of a prominent member of the so-called Resistance Front, General Sherdad, also confirms that General Saree was targeted by Atta Mohammad Noor, Ismail Khan, and the leaders of the Northern Council in the north to prevent the spread of his influence and popularity.
Saree was gaining widespread popularity among former military personnel residing in Iran, which led the leaders of the opposing fronts to decide to eliminate him in order to maintain their positions and prevent their own status from being threatened. This was an action they had taken many times during the civil wars and twenty years of republicanism to preserve their survival, even sacrificing their closest friends.
In conclusion, it can be said that the assassination of General Saree was neither a random event nor the result of the current Afghan government’s intervention, but rather a clear and direct reflection of the intense disagreements and rivalries among the opponents fronts; an action that shows these tensions have now moved beyond verbal disputes and political competition and reached the dangerous stage of physical elimination.
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