Taliban Says it Controls Most of Afghanistan, Reassures Russia

Members of Taliban political office Abdul Latif Mansoor (L), Shahabuddin Delawar (C) and Suhail Shaheen attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Members of Taliban political office Abdul Latif Mansoor (L), Shahabuddin Delawar (C) and Suhail Shaheen attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
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Taliban Says it Controls Most of Afghanistan, Reassures Russia

Members of Taliban political office Abdul Latif Mansoor (L), Shahabuddin Delawar (C) and Suhail Shaheen attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Members of Taliban political office Abdul Latif Mansoor (L), Shahabuddin Delawar (C) and Suhail Shaheen attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2021. (Reuters)

A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85% of territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others.

Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of fighting, a move that has emboldened Taliban insurgents to try to gain fresh territory in Afghanistan.

That has prompted hundreds of Afghan security personnel and refugees to flee across the border into neighboring Tajikistan and raised fears in Moscow and other capitals that extremists could infiltrate Central Asia, a region Russia views as its backyard.

At a news conference in Moscow on Friday, three Taliban officials sought to signal that they did not pose a threat to the wider region however.

The officials said the Taliban would do all it could to prevent ISIS operating on Afghan territory and that it would also seek to wipe out drug production.

“We will take all measures so that Islamic State will not operate on Afghan territory... and our territory will never be used against our neighbors,” Taliban official Shahabuddin Delawar said through a translator.

The same delegation said a day earlier that the group would not attack the Tajik-Afghan border, the fate of which is in focus in Russia and Central Asia.

Moscow has noted a sharp increase in tensions on the same border, two thirds of which the Taliban currently controls, the Interfax news agency cited Russia’s foreign ministry as saying on Friday.

Russia’s foreign ministry called on all sides of the Afghanistan conflict to show restraint and said that Russia and the Moscow-led CSTO military bloc would act decisively to prevent aggression on the border if necessary, RIA reported.

The Taliban delegation told the same news conference that the group would respect the rights of ethnic minorities and all Afghan citizens should have the right to a decent education in the framework of religious law and Afghan traditions.

“We want all representatives of Afghan society ... to take part in creating an Afghan state,” said Delawar.



After Netanyahu Arrest Warrant, Israelis Fear Military Officers’ Prosecution

Israel fears its officers may also be prosecuted after an arrest warrant was issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Government Press Office - AFP)
Israel fears its officers may also be prosecuted after an arrest warrant was issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Government Press Office - AFP)
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After Netanyahu Arrest Warrant, Israelis Fear Military Officers’ Prosecution

Israel fears its officers may also be prosecuted after an arrest warrant was issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Government Press Office - AFP)
Israel fears its officers may also be prosecuted after an arrest warrant was issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Government Press Office - AFP)

Israeli leaders from both the ruling coalition and opposition have strongly reacted to the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges related to Gaza.

While these immediate reactions dominate the news, Israel’s judicial authorities, military courts, and experts are carefully studying the decision, with growing concerns about its broader consequences.

The main concern among Israelis is that the court has determined the actions in Gaza were war crimes against humanity, including starvation, lack of medical care, and mass killings.

While Netanyahu and Gallant are seen as the key figures responsible, many others are involved. These include senior and junior military leaders, as well as soldiers who shared images on social media boasting about their actions against Palestinians.

Any of them could be arrested if complaints are made against them in other countries.

A growing network of global volunteers, including many Israeli Jews, is mobilizing against the war and its atrocities. These individuals have gathered detailed information on the officers involved, such as their identities, passport numbers, and travel plans.

This data is stored online, ready to be used if needed. They plan to use this information to push for the arrest of any officer traveling abroad.

This strategy has been tested three times in the past month. The first was in Belgium, where an Israeli-Belgian dual citizen involved in the Gaza conflict was investigated. Two weeks ago, a similar case occurred in Nicosia with an Israeli holding Cypriot citizenship.

Last week, an Israeli reserve officer was nearly arrested while on his honeymoon in Cyprus. This officer had boasted about his actions in Gaza and posted a photo saying, “We will burn Gaza to the ground.”

A Belgian organization tracked him and sought his arrest. The Israeli Mossad intervened, quickly having him deported before the arrest could happen.

In addition to these risks, Israeli officials are concerned about how the ICC ruling will affect Netanyahu’s leadership.

If the US accepts him, who else will? Which world leader will risk meeting him now? How can Netanyahu lead if he’s isolated internationally?

Experts have suggested that Israel may have to prepare for a future without Netanyahu, predicting the ICC ruling signals the beginning of the end of his leadership.