Taliban disown Tajik commander over anti-Iran remarks

Above image: Screenshots from videos of Abdul Hamid Khorasani.

On 8 August 2024, Afghan media outlet Khorasan International TV released a video (11:22 in length) featuring Abdul Hamid Khorasani, a Tajik Taliban commander from Panjshir. 

In the video, Khorasani condemns the Iranian government for its oppression of Afghan refugees within the country, and calls followers of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, “Polytheists, and worse than Jews and Christians.” He urged Afghan youths in Iran to retaliate against any Iranians who oppress them, stating: “The killing of them – Khamenei and his followers – brings great rewards. If you kill one follower of Khamenei, it is equivalent to killing ten Jews. The reward for killing them is immense, as they are impolite and rude polytheists.”

Although AW was unable to verify its recording date, various social media accounts shared short clips from the video of Khorasani, and Aamaj News reported on his remarks on 10 and 11 August 2024. 

Tajik commander’s criticism of Iran

Khorasani, also known as Nasir Badri, previously served as the Taliban’s Chief of Security for Panjshir until March 2022. He also served as the Ahmad Aba District Governor in Paktia province from March to May 2023. Known for his controversial statements about the Taliban leadership, Iran, and Pakistan, Khorasani was reportedly dismissed from his position as Ahmad Aba District Governor in May 2023, and has not held any official post since. In May 2024, Khorasani appeared in a video collecting weapons from his fighters, declaring that he had resigned from his role as a commander within the Taliban. Despite this, he was seen in a July 2024 video sitting among his armed fighters. The military unit led by Khorasani, which consists of a few dozen members, is called Nasir Badri – a name he also uses as his alias.  

The release of the video on 8 August 2024 follows previous recent comments made by Khorasani criticising Iran. On 31 July 2024, a video circulated of Khorasani alongside his armed men, in which he accused Iran of being “a secret ally of Israel,” and blamed Iran for allegedly plotting the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed shortly before the video’s release. 

Taliban response

On 11 August 2024, Iranian state-run Tasnim News Agency quoted Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, saying: “this person [Khorasani] has no post or position in Afghanistan and is a vagabond.” He added: “such divisive statements are purely personal and have no connection to the Islamic Emirate. This individual does not represent any organisation or institution in Afghanistan.” Various international and Afghan media outlets also reported on Zabuhullah’'s response. 

Although Khorasani has made controversial remarks on several occasions, AW note that this is the first time a senior Taliban official has publicly responded to his comments. It remains unclear whether Mujahid’s reaction was a strategic move to placate Iran, or a sign that the Taliban’s tolerance for Khorasani's repeated controversial remarks has finally reached its limit, potentially leading to further consequences.

On 12 August 2024, Afghanistan International claimed that Khorasani sent them a message dismissing Mujahid’s remarks about him as meaningless. Khorasani stated that he had no interest in holding any position within the Taliban. He was also quoted saying that had he known the Taliban regime would be even more ethnically centred and exclusive than Ashraf Ghani’s administration, he would have chosen a different path. 

Several other digital news agencies on X also reported on Khorasani’s alleged response to Mujahid’s remarks. This included Tasnim News Agency, which published an article titled, ‘The End of Abdul Hamid Khorasani's Game with the Taliban Card’ on 12 August 2024. The article suggested that Khorasani’s recent remarks against Iran, his attempts to “sow discord between the people of Iran and Afghanistan,” as well as his reaction to being disavowed by the Taliban, could signal his interest in aligning with ISKP.

Khorasani has previously condemned ISKP and its ideology, including issuing threats against the group, yet some anti-Taliban accounts have noted similarities between his views on Shias and those of ISKP.  

Khorasani’s response to Mujahid’s remarks could not be verified by AW due to the lack of any audio, video, or written statement from Khorasani. Although there are several X accounts created under the name of Abdul Hamid Khorasani, two of which post regular content concerning Khorasani to thousands of followers, these could not be verified as authentic. 

An X account attributed to him posted on 12 August 2024, stating: “Mujahid is our dearest one,” and: “His statement is true, as I have no official responsibility in the government, and my statements are my personal opinions.” The post also added: “Afghanistan International and other Western media have tried for years to create disunity among the holy ranks of the Mujahideen (Taliban), but Alhamdulillah, this unity has only grown stronger.”