Ahmad Massoud Warns International Aid to Taliban Fuels Terrorism

Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front, said in an interview with the French magazine L’Express that while his group is engaged in armed resistance against the Taliban regime, it does not support any foreign military intervention in Afghanistan. He stressed that the resistance movement above all needs the political solidarity of the international community.

Massoud warned that international aid currently provided to the Taliban is being spent without oversight. According to him, the Taliban receive nearly the same amount of funding from the global community as the former republican government did, but without being held accountable by international institutions.

He added that while the previous Afghan government had to report to international committees for every dollar of aid received, the Taliban now spend similar resources without clear regulations, with part of it allegedly going to support militant groups. Massoud believes this situation poses a threat to both regional and global security.

The resistance leader described the Taliban’s return to power as a regression to a period even harsher than that of his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud. He said the Taliban now enjoy broader international support, while the Afghan people have lost their allies. Massoud attributed the current situation to the international community’s failure to understand the realities on the ground in Afghanistan.

He also criticized Western nations for reprioritizing global issues, saying Afghanistan has fallen out of international focus. He warned that ignoring the current situation could lead to a greater catastrophe in the future. According to him, the Taliban have claimed they have trained over 25,000 individuals in jihadist schools over the past four years, raising the risk of a growing terrorist threat.

Massoud underscored that the National Resistance Front continues the legacy of his father and remains committed to building a free, multicultural, and democratic Afghanistan. He noted that Ahmad Shah Massoud was the first Afghan political figure to sign a women’s rights charter.

He described Russia’s recent move to recognize the Taliban as disappointing, asserting that the legitimacy of any administration must come from the Afghan people, not from foreign endorsement.