Afghan political leader Atta Mohammad Noor has sharply criticized the Taliban, rejecting their legitimacy to sign international agreements. In a statement shared on social media on Monday, September 22, Noor stressed that the Taliban regime was not formed through elections and does not enjoy public support, making it unqualified to act as a legitimate government in strategic deals.
Referring to Afghanistan’s political history, Noor said that foreign occupation under agreements with legitimate governments—such as establishing military bases or security partnerships—differs fundamentally from the Taliban’s position. He recalled the arrival of international forces in 2001, noting that it was based on a UN Security Council mandate to fight terrorism, not secretive or illegitimate pacts.
He also argued that external support during the jihad and resistance against the Soviet invasion and later against the Taliban was not “selling out the country,” but rather a necessity for survival. According to Noor, no political faction in Afghanistan is free from receiving foreign support, as nearly all groups have relied on external aid over the past decades.
Noor described the Taliban as a reactionary, violent, and ethnically driven group that has killed Afghans in the name of religion. However, he admitted that no direct evidence of the Taliban “selling out the country” has emerged, and if receiving Pakistani support is the standard for such accusations, many other groups would also fall under that category.
Recalling parts of Afghanistan’s negotiation history with the Taliban, he noted that even Ahmad Shah Massoud, the country’s national hero, once sent delegations for talks with the group in the interest of national strategy. But these efforts, Noor said, were about necessity and context, not recognition of the Taliban’s legitimacy.
In conclusion, Noor emphasized that understanding Afghanistan’s political realities requires rationality and fairness, not partisan propaganda or online insults.
