“All elders (…) must inspect their ranks and make sure that there are no unknown persons acting against the will of the government in order to root them out as soon as possible,” said Khibatullah Akhundzada in a rare speech cited by government officials.
Since coming to power on August 15, the Taliban have faced a wave of attacks from the Afghan wing (EI-K) of the Islamic State “jihadist” movement, also Sunni, but even more radical than the Taliban.
On Tuesday, at least 19 people, including a senior Taliban official, were killed in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul, reported by ISIS.
The Taliban are concerned that rival militants have infiltrated the movement as they recently recruited many people into the Afghan administration.
According to Khibatullah Akhundzade, each commander of the detachment “should meet and spend time with each of his fighters to help them in their work and behavior.”
However, he warned, “no combatant should be subjected to cruel or ill-treatment.”
The Taliban, which has lived in an armed insurgency for more than 20 years, is made up of hundreds of militias and subgroups belonging to various factions, sometimes in conflict with each other.
In his role as “supreme leader,” Khibatullah Akhundzadeh, who lives underground, is responsible for maintaining unity and defining the main internal directions of the movement.
Ultimately expecting international recognition from the government, the Islamic movement is also trying to avoid internal problems among its militants.
Last week, three wedding guests were killed by men posing as Taliban fighters and justifying their actions by playing music during the party. The episode condemned the government.
The Taliban captured Kabul, ending an offensive that began in May, when US and NATO forces began withdrawing from the country in 2001.
