Afghan intel, Taliban spar over captured commander ‘dressed like a woman’

Ali-taliban-dress

The Taliban has rejected Afghan press reports that one of its commanders was captured in the eastern province of Paktika while wearing a woman’s dress. Additionally, the jihadist group denied reports that its forces clashed with a rival faction in southwestern Afghanistan. The reports and Taliban denials are part of an ongoing information war being waged by both sides as security in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate.

Today, the National Directorate of Security – Afghanistan’s intelligence service – claimed it captured a Taliban commander, known as Khizar Ali, in Paktika’s Bermal district as he was “dressed like a woman.” The claim was published on the NDS’ Facebook page; included were photographs and a video showing Ali in a colorful woman’s dress [see photo above]. Oddly enough, Ali is handling an AK-47, with a magazine inserted. The NDS report of Ali’s capture was picked up by Afghan news outlets, including Khaama Press.

Also, yesterday, 1TV Afghanistan reported that more than 30 Taliban fighters were killed as forces loyal to Mullah Mansour, the emir of the established Taliban, clashed with followers from Mullah Rasul’s breakaway faction in the Nawa district in Ghazni province.

The Taliban issued a statement yesterday on Voice of Jihad, its official propaganda outlet, rejecting the capture of Ali as well as the report of infighting with Rasul’s forces.

“The provincial officials of the stooge Kabul regime alongside their notorious intelligence agency have been claiming since yesterday of infighting between Mujahideen in Nawa or Maqur districts of Ghazni province as well as arresting a commander in Bermal district of Paktika province today,” a statement attributed to Zabihullah Mujahid read, one of the group’s official spokesmen.

“We strongly reject this propaganda and state that no such incident has taken place in any of the areas and neither has a Mujahideen commander been detained anywhere,” Mujahid continued.

Mujahid described the reports as “rumors,” “fabrications,” and “propaganda” designed to “boost the morale of its dispirited troops who are facing a trashing at the hands of Mujahideen everywhere.”

The back and forth between the Afghan government and the Taliban is nothing new, as both sides are attempting to gain the upper hand and convince the Afghan people and international community that they are winning the war.

It is often difficult assessing each side’s claims. For instance, the Taliban is often more credible when it comes to reports on its operations, including the seizing of districts in Afghan provinces. The Taliban claimed at the beginning of the year that it controlled more than 30 districts and strongly contests scores more. Afghan officials have only admitted that four districts are under Taliban control. A study by The Long War Journal shows that the Taliban control at least 38 districts and strongly contest another 40.

However, the Taliban often exaggerates the effects of its operations, for instance by overstating Coalition and Afghan casualties. The Afghan military and Ministry of Interior also inflate the number of Taliban killed in its operations.

With the Western media losing interest in Afghanistan and the Afghan media under assault by the Taliban and even at times by the government, it becomes more difficult to assess the validity of reports such as the captured Taliban commander wearing a dress and jihadist infighting.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

7 Comments

  • Personally, I believe that if the Afghan government is making false statements to attempt to build the morale of troops, they are defeating their purpose. We all know that telling one lie leads to having to tell other lies and sooner or later, you get caught.

    I believe that the key is to do the same that is being done to ISIS…attack the money supplies. If the financial method is depleted, they will not have the resources. Intel needs to find those resources and destroy them.

  • Mike Smith says:

    So the Taliban like man-love just as much as the ANSF do. That’s not a big surprise.

  • DD says:

    What’s defeating IS(not ISIS catch up thank you) is the constant bombing and US helping their own enemies, that’s also enemies of IS. Kobani would have been IS big city 3, with Hassakah big city 4 and Baghdad surrounded if it weren’t for the bombing on the battlefield. The economic attacks just slows things down, the victory over IS comes with the battlefield.

  • TEM says:

    Par for the course,no surprise here. I still can’t believe what I witnessed in my first few months in A- Stan. Great report Bill.

  • Dennis says:

    You just can’t make this up! ! Afgan Taliban are known to be slightly trans-gender pedofiles, knowing that culture doesn’t allow men to check women. How stupid can this be?? If you know this happens ,why would you give them this opportunity? Obviously they have no shame. Wonder how his comrades are looking at this (or him/her) .

  • boval4466 says:

    Probably cant wait for him/her to be released, the nights are cold, brrr!!

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