Afghanistan: Afghan leader calls for elections to establish legitimate government

Afghan leader Ahmad Massoud called for elections to be held in Afghanistan. Massoud cited that elections to establish a legitimate government would help the country out of its current crisis.

Speaking at a conference in Tajikistan, the anti-Taliban Afghan leader Massoud said that only elections could bring Afghanistan out of its political crisis, even if it would grant legitimacy to Taliban rule. The conference marks a rare public appearance of Massoud, who leads the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, with stronger security measures in place at the event.

Massoud said that domestic, regional, and national consensus is needed to establish a general election framework in Afghanistan. The exiled leader did not say who should be elected, however, saying that the Afghan people should be the ones to decide who they want to lead the country.

“Let the people decide for themselves which kind of government they want,” said Massoud. “If the Taliban come to power through elections, (the Resistance Front) will accept that as they will have the authority from the people.”

The NRF group’s opposition forces are loyal to Massoud, who is the son of anti-Soviet mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. The NRF has opposed the insurgent group’s takeover and clashes with the Taliban have been taking place since August 2021, when the western forces withdrew their military presence from Afghanistan.

The most recent elections in the country were held by the Western-backed Afghan government, which collapsed when the insurgent group captured the capital Kabul. By December 2021, the Taliban dissolved the country’s elections commission.

On Thursday, the United Nations Mission to Afghanistan called on the Taliban to investigate the reports of extrajudicial killings taking place in the northern province of Daikundi. The insurgent group said that a gunfight in Daikundi between security forces and armed rebels resulted in fatalities but that no children were killed. However, the UN mission said it was working to establish what actually took place.

The mission said on Twitter that there have been “very serious reports of civilian casualties, with extrajudicial killings, at least eight fatalities, including children.” The mission said it has “engaged Taliban on the need for credible investigation and accountability.”