Taliban Cleric Urges Forced Killing of Opponents, Says Funeral Prayers Should Not Be Held
Mawlawi Esmatullah Khoshki, one of the clerics close to the Taliban administration, has called for the forced killing of those who oppose the group, offering religious justifications and insisting that funeral prayers should not be performed over their bodies. Defending his remarks, he said siding with opponents of the Taliban amounts to making them lawfully liable to be killed, and that killing them is permissible under Islamic law.
Khoshki described the war against the Taliban administration as lacking religious legitimacy and referred to opponents as “rebels” and “mutineers.” He also singled out those who fight under the names of figures such as Mohaqiq, Abdullah, Sayyaf or Amrullah Saleh, blaming them for corruption and insecurity in the country, and added that an imam has no right to lead funeral prayers over their bodies.
The Taliban-linked cleric also warned families against sending their children into the ranks of the opposition, saying their blood would be wasted and funeral prayers would not be said over their bodies. The remarks, posted on the social platform X, were welcomed by Taliban supporters.
The comments come as armed fronts opposing the Taliban administration continue to report repeated attacks on the group’s forces and claim the Taliban only show flexibility under military pressure and have no willingness to negotiate to resolve the country’s problems.
In addition, more than five years after the Taliban returned to power, sweeping restrictions remain in place on girls’ education beyond sixth grade and women’s employment, while the human rights of many citizens have been ignored. The public’s ability to file independent and effective complaints against Taliban forces and officials is also severely limited.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s religious justifications for killing opponents come as the group itself came to power after two decades of war and violence against Afghanistan’s former government, during which large numbers of military and civilian personnel were targeted in Taliban armed attacks, bombings and kidnappings.
