Purple Saturdays Movement: Taliban Threaten Global Security by Supporting Terrorism and Engaging in International Blackmail

The statement was released today, Saturday (February 15), alongside videos of protest gatherings by movement members in closed-door locations in Ghor, Parwan, and Kabul provinces.

The statement asserts that since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have not only failed to fulfill their commitments to sever ties with terrorist groups but have also strengthened these groups through financial, arms, human, and infrastructural support.

According to the movement, Afghanistan has become a hub for transnational terrorism, with simultaneous membership of individuals in the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist groups becoming a systematic phenomenon.

The Purple Saturdays Movement emphasized that the Taliban, through dual policies and narrative engineering, are not only plundering natural resources and illegally exploiting humanitarian aid but are also using funds allocated for counter-terrorism and drug trafficking control to bolster terrorist infrastructure. This strategy aims at geopolitical blackmail and threatening international security, while the international community's tactical engagement with the Taliban has deepened the crisis of legitimacy and governance in Afghanistan.

The statement also criticized the handover of some Afghan diplomatic missions to the Taliban, calling it a violation of diplomatic principles and international law.

The movement called on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate practical measures to halt this trend, stressing that the formal transfer of diplomatic premises to the Taliban equates to legitimizing an imposed, authoritarian, and human rights-violating regime.

The Purple Saturdays Movement also pointed to the lack of a comprehensive political alternative to the Taliban as one of the factors perpetuating the crisis in Afghanistan. It urged opposition forces to focus on creating a shared political system centered on institutions rather than individuals, paving the way for a united front to restore legitimate governance.

In conclusion, the movement identified the solution to Afghanistan's crisis as the establishment of a decentralized (federal) political system based on democracy, civil rights, and social justice. It called on the international community to support this path and refrain from any actions that could legitimize the Taliban.