Strict Actions On Military Commander Violations And Illegal Execution, Taliban Defense Minister: No Retaliation!

Illustration of the commander of the Afghan army selected by the Taliban Qari Phaseehudin (holding a communication device) with his members. (Twitter/@Badri_313_Unit)

JAKARTA - The Afghan government's defense minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, issued a strong rebuke for the mistakes of several military commanders and fighters, saying violations would not be tolerated.

Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob said in an audio message that some "famous criminals and ex-soldiers" had been allowed to join Taliban units, where they had committed various, sometimes violent offences.

"We direct you to keep them out of your ranks, otherwise strict action will be taken against you," he said.

"We don't want people like that in our ranks," said the eldest son of the founder of the Taliban and Mujahideen Commander Mullah Mohammed Omar or Mullah Omar.

The message from one of the Taliban's most senior ministers underscores the problems that Afghanistan's new rulers sometimes face in controlling combat troops as they transition from insurgency to peacetime rule.

Some residents of Kabul have complained of harsh treatment at the hands of Taliban fighters who appear on the streets of the capital, often from other areas and unfamiliar with big cities.

There have also been reports of reprisals against members of the former government and military or civil society activists, despite promises of amnesty by the Taliban.

Mullah Yaqoob said there were isolated reports of unlawful executions, with him repeating, such acts would not be tolerated.

"As you all know, under the general amnesty announced in Afghanistan, no mujahid has the right to take revenge on anyone," he said, underlining the general amnesty.

It was not clear which incident he was referring to, or what prompted the message, which was published on the Taliban's Twitter account and widely shared on social media.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of tensions in the movement between hardline battlefield commanders and political leaders more willing to compromise with governments outside Afghanistan.