Relatives of Qari Salahuddin Ayubi and Atauallah Omari two famous Taliban Uzbek commanders in north of Afghanistan confirmed to Aamaj News that both of them have been fired from their jobs in military corps and have been sent to wild-goose chase.
They on the condition of anonymity said the purification of Uzbeks in north part of the country has already started, and the positions as technology of the defense ministry and deputy of ministry of rural rehabilitation and development are just invented positions.
They say that so far these two commanders have not decided to go to their new jobs, they may prefer to stay at home rather than going to a job which have no experience at, and will be as symbolic ones.
But where the root of purification lies in?
With detention of Makhdom Alem one of the Taliban’s Uzbek commanders, a number of people started to speculate on distrust of Taliban towards their non-Pashtun commanders. As Taliban arrested Makhdom Alem, a number of people protested against them. But by deploying suicide bombers in Faryab province, they could manage to control the situation, and Alem remained in prison.
But by imprisonment of Makhdom Alem and changing the positions of Qari Salahuddin Ayubi and Atauallah Omari who were famous as “conquerors of north of Afghanistan,” some people think that Taliban leaders are trying to marginalize Uzbek figures.
Unlike their first rule, Taliban now have Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek commanders with themselves, the commanders that seem have no other usage anymore.
By stepping down of these Uzbek commanders, it seems that Taliban are trying to complete their list of governors and combination of their cabinet with just their original ethnic group –Pashtuns. Although Taliban reject this issue and emphasize that their government is an inclusive one.
However, speculation of resistance and the start of war in coming spring in northern provinces have put the Taliban in a difficult position. Sources say that based on this suspicion, the Taliban will soon expand their house-to-house search in north part of the country, and will start from Faryab province.
