A commander of the Fatemiyoun Brigade, speaking on condition of anonymity, has claimed that hundreds of forces under his command are ready to join anti-Taliban fronts and fight the group, provided the necessary equipment and logistics are made available. He stated that any movement capable of equipping and supporting these forces could leverage their operational capacity.
The commander also noted that statements by Seyed Hassan Mortazavi, the deputy ambassador of Iran in Kabul who declared that the Islamic Republic does not recognize the fight against the Taliban as a "resistance" have sparked discontent among a number of Fatemiyoun members. According to him, many fighters within the brigade view countering the Taliban as a top priority for Afghanistan.
He further claimed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised in 2016 to support the formation of an affiliated military-political movement within Afghanistan, but this promise was never fulfilled. Following the Taliban's return to power, Fatemiyoun forces were reportedly instructed to refrain from taking any military action against the group.
Additionally, the commander stated that a segment of the Fatemiyoun forces is dissatisfied with the Islamic Republic's policies and its treatment of Afghan fighters, warning that they could join opposition fronts against the Taliban if favorable conditions arise. These claims have not yet been independently confirmed or denied by officials from either Iran or the Taliban.
The Fatemiyoun Brigade was established with the support of Iran's IRGC, recruited primarily from Afghan Shia refugees, and has been actively deployed over recent years to support the Bashar al-Assad regime in the Syrian civil war.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
