Iranian Envoy Highlights Potential for 'Martyrdom' Forces in Afghanistan & Iran

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special representative for Afghanistan, clarified in Kabul that his comments on deploying suicide squads from Afghanistan to Gaza were misconstrued.

He explained that he aimed to underscore the extensive potential for 'martyrdom' forces within Afghanistan, Iran, and other Islamic nations.

During an interview with the private Shamshad TV at the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, he sought to rationalise his earlier remarks on the preparedness of "a martyrdom army" from Afghanistan which could be sent to aid Palestinians and fight against Israel.

Previously, during a discussion with the Iranian state media, Kazemi Qomi labeled Afghanistan as a component of the resistance axis. However, in his latest interview, he remarked, "There is tremendous potential in these countries, notably Afghanistan, where individuals are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of Al-Quds (Jerusalem). They possess martyrdom and Jihadist forces."

Responding to a Shamshad reporter's inquiry about the location of these forces, Iran's special representative mentioned, "The people of Afghanistan”.

This top diplomat of the Islamic Republic further noted that his prior dialogue did not broach the subject of dispatching a suicide army from Afghanistan to Gaza, emphasising that there is no intention of intervention.

Nonetheless, Qomi affirmed, "Such capacity exists within the aware consciences of Afghanistan's Muslim and revolutionary populace. Should the circumstances be conducive and the need arise, they are well-prepared; the same holds for Iran and other countries... I never stated our intention to send [suicide attackers from Afghanistan to Gaza].”

On February 7, speaking to Iran's state-run Ofogh channel, the special representative for Afghanistan, expressed that "more than one brigade of martyrdom forces" could be mobilised from Afghanistan to support Gaza if required.

He acknowledged Afghanistan's geographic distance from Gaza, but reinforced its status within the "resistance axis”.

The statements from Qomi elicited a broad range of responses, including from Atta Mohammad Noor, a Taliban adversary, who asserted that Afghanistan's sovereignty does not extend to dispatching suicide forces to Gaza.