‘Fighting abroad not jihad’, Mullah Yaqub
Kabul, The Gulf Observer: The Taliban’s interim Defence Minister Mullah Yaqub has said that if someone goes outside of Afghanistan with the intention of jihad, his work is not called jihad, Tolo News reported on Saturday.
“If the Amir explicitly prohibits Mujahideen from engaging in combat and they still persist, the resulting battle would not be classified as jihad,” he said during a speech to Taliban commanders.
“The Amir’s orders are binding,” stressed Yaqoob, adding that any individual leaving Afghanistan with the explicit purpose of pursuing jihad would not be labelled as engaging in true Jihad.
Furthermore, he added, if the fighters defy Amir’s restrictions on entering battle and proceed regardless, the action would not be regarded as jihad.
The acting defence minister underscored the importance of refraining from actions that could potentially undermine the achievements made by the interim government thus far.
The statement came as Pakistan presses the interim Afghan government to take action against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Islamabad has blamed the terrorist sanctuaries across the border for the surge in terrorist attacks. It has been repeatedly stating that the banned TTP and its affiliates have been operating from Afghanistan with impunity.
The interim Afghan government has denied this and insisted that it would not allow Afghan soil to be used against any country.
