Khalil Haqqani Had Continuous Contact With NRF, Says Fazl Ahmad Manawi

Fazl Ahmad Manawi, a former justice minister and a member of the National Resistance Front (NRF), said that Khalil Haqqani, the former Taliban refugee minister, had indirect and continuous contacts with the NRF.

He added that these contacts continued since the war in Panjshir until the suicide attack on Haqqani's life.

However, he emphasised that Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front, had no direct contact with Khalil Haqqani.

Manawi said in an interview with Afghanistan International on Wednesday that Khalil Haqqani was not a supporter of war and that they received repeated calls from him when the war was underway in Panjshir.

He clarified that Haqqani's efforts to prevent war and stand his ground continued until the last moment.

Earlier, Michael Semple, former deputy EU envoy for Afghanistan, had said in an interview with Afghanistan International that Haqqani was assassinated because of covert internal and external connections. He said that the Taliban leader was suspicious of Haqqani's contacts. Semple had described Haqqani's assassination as a result of internal Taliban conflicts.

Fazl Ahmadi Manawi, a senior member of the National Resistance Front, also attributes the assassination of Khalil Haqqani to internal Taliban disputes.

Khalil Haqqani was killed last month in a suicide attack at the headquarters of the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees in Kabul.

Manawi mentioned the increasing dissatisfaction within the Taliban ranks, saying that the Kandahar group had monopolised power, and this had caused dissatisfaction among other factions within the group.

Manawi predicted that with the coming to power of the new US government, aid to the Taliban will be cut off and they will not be able to finance the huge expenses of their jihadi schools and security institutions through taxes and underground resources.

Manawi stated that the coming year will not be a good year for the Taliban, predicting that signs of the Taliban's collapse will become more visible in 2025. This member of the National Resistance Front stated that in a meeting with representatives of regional countries, they realised that these countries were also disappointed with the Taliban.