Taliban Leader Hibatullah Calls on Opponents to Return to Afghanistan

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban administration, urged the group’s opponents to return to Afghanistan and resume normal life in the country during his Eid prayer speech in Kandahar. He made this appeal amid growing concerns in recent years about the security of opponents and former military personnel.

According to United Nations reports, hundreds of cases of killings and detentions of former government military and staff have been recorded in less than five years. These reports show that despite the Taliban administration’s declaration of a general amnesty, incidents of retaliatory actions have continued to be documented.

In part of his speech, the Taliban leader also referred to the killing of individuals in attacks carried out by the group during the war. These remarks come while international organizations, including the United Nations, have previously documented the deaths of thousands of civilians in Taliban attacks during the years of conflict.

Given this background, some observers emphasize that the return of opponents and former military personnel faces serious doubts without practical and transparent guarantees regarding immunity and civil rights. So far, the Taliban administration has not provided specific details about monitoring mechanisms or legal guarantees to ensure the safety of those returning.