Afghan MPs and Officials Oppose Presence of Afghan Militants in Iran’s Terrorist Quds Force

Officials of Afghanistan opposed the presence of Afghan militants to fight under the command of the terrorist Quds Force in Fatemiyun division and Hashed al-Sha’bi in Syria and Iraq. Abdullah Abdullah, executive director of Afghanistan’s National Unity Government, said on Monday, November 27, at a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Kabul:

“The Afghan government’s policy of fighting Daesh (ISIS) is clear. We do not support the presence and participation of Afghans in the war in any country.”

He said government wants all Afghans to live in peace and that it does not want its citizens to take part in wars in other countries. Also, Hossein Mortazavi, the administrator of the Afghan presidential spokesman, said:

“We are opposed to any proxy war in other countries. The blood of Afghanistan’s children is being shed for defending the territorial integrity of our country. There should be no blood of any Afghan citizen shed to serve the interests of others.

These stances were expressed after Mohammad Mohaqiq, the second deputy head of Afghanistan’s executive branch last week praised the presence of the so-called Fatemiyun in the Iraqi and Syrian wars during a statement at the so-called Lovers of Ahl-Bayt gathering in Tehran.  Attending a meeting over the weekend in Tehran, Mohaqiq thanked the fighters, including Afghans, for having helped defeat Daesh in the country.

“I thank all the warriors who cooperated in these wars either from Iraq and Syria fighters, the Iraq and Syria army and the fighters of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other parts of the world who attended the wars. In fact it was the war of Islam against infidelity and against the conspiracies of the world arrogance.

Following this, a handful of Afghan MPs and officials protested Mohaqiq, calling his statement disturbing and irresponsible. The Presidential Palace, ARG, in a statement on Wednesday reacted sharply to the second deputy chief executive Mohammad Mohaqiq’s remarks in Tehran, saying that the comments are against national interests and that his comments do not represent the policies of the Afghan government.

The statement said the Afghan government has always opposed Daesh activities and that the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces are on the first line of the battle against Daesh and other terrorist groups.

“The recent remarks by Mohamad Mohaqiq, the second deputy of the chief executive (Abdullah Abdullah), are against the principles of (Afghanistan’s) foreign policy, the national interests, stability and security as well as against the laws in Afghanistan, and it does not represent the views of the government of Afghanistan,” read the statement.

The Presidential Palace says the views should not create division among the people.

“These remarks will be seriously assessed in line with the country’s laws,” the presidential palace said.

According to the statement, the soldier service and military laws gives the permission only to Afghan nationals under the Afghan flag and in the framework of national sovereignty.

“(Afghanistan) government wants to make it clear that Afghanistan has never been involved in proxy wars and will never allow the country to be used as a proxy war ground,” the statement said.

Afghan government is determined to resolve the problem of its nationals in other countries, who have been involved in wars, through international laws, the statement added. The Presidential Palace said the Afghan government has good government-to-government relations with neighboring, regional and world countries and it continues its efforts to strengthen ties.