Atta Mohammad Noor Calls Muttaqi’s Remarks a Sign of Taliban’s Moral Decline

DID Press: Atta Mohammad Noor, a senior Afghan political figure and leader of Jamiat-e Islami, has sharply criticized recent remarks by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, calling them “crude” and evidence of the Taliban administration’s “moral decline.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Noor, a former governor of Balkh province and a member of the Supreme Council of Resistance, said he had believed Muttaqi to be among the Taliban’s more “polite and worldly” figures. However, he said the foreign minister’s latest comments showed that he behaved like “other ignorant and extremist members” of the group.

Referring to Muttaqi’s reported use of the term “Kulabi” for Taliban opponents, Noor described the remarks as offensive and a sign of the Taliban’s ethical decline. He also accused Taliban leaders of having been shaped by Pakistani religious schools and security institutions, using strongly critical language to describe their alleged ties to Pakistan.

Noor further alleged that the Taliban had received support from foreign actors during their insurgency against Afghanistan’s former government, and said Pakistani, Arab and Chechen fighters had previously been captured among Taliban ranks. He also claimed that the families of some Taliban officials continue to live in Pakistan and that some of the group’s leaders maintain business interests there.

The former Balkh governor also criticized the Taliban’s treatment of the body of Hasib Panjshiri, a commander affiliated with the anti-Taliban resistance, calling it contrary to Islamic teachings. He contrasted the incident with what he described as Panjshiri’s humane treatment of captured Taliban fighters.

Muttaqi had earlier said at an event marking Afghanistan’s independence anniversary that Taliban founder Mullah Omar had been wounded four times but had driven his opponents “as far as Kulob,” in neighboring Tajikistan. He also said Taliban opponents had failed to establish a foothold in Afghanistan over the past five years.