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KABUL: After Taliban signed a peace agreement with the United States on February 29th in Doha, it was expected the group will reduce armed violence in Afghanistan and would stop their spring offensives during which the group usually send their fighters back to Afghanistan, after spending winter on other side of the Durand Line, where the group leaders and fighters have their safe sanctuaries now for nearly two decades.
Although, Taliban did not publicly announce their spring offensives this year, but the group has continued to send their fighters to the battlefields of the country in spring, after spending winter break in Pakistan.
Among the other fighters and commanders, the group sent this spring to the battlefields in Afghanistan from Pakistan, was Hameedullah Hussaini, the group’s local commander in eastern Logar province. He was killed on Wednesday by the Afghan special forces, during a special operation in Muhammad-Agha district of the province.
The commander, who was also known among Taliban ranks as Quraishi and Zakir Logarwal, was brother of Abdullah Hussaini, known as Mukhtar, the Taliban’s shadow governor for southeastern Khost province.
Ill Taliban commander, Hamedullah Zakir, during his winter vacations in Pakistan.
Hameedullah Zakir, returned to the beatified in Logar in April, after spending winter in Pakistan, where the group’s fighters rest in winter and regroup back during spring for new offensives, once the weather conditions improve.
He came to Afghanistan for a fight only one and a half months after the group signed a peace deal with the US, which he celebrated as a victory for the group in Pakistan’s vacation resorts with his friends, before heading to Afghanistan for a fight. He knew this time the fight was only against Afghan security forces, as the group completely stopped its attacks against foreign troops, after signing the deal.
Zakir, who was originally from Logar, was buried in Brag, his home village in Logar. But the Taliban and his family announced to hold his Fatiha rituals Friday (June 12) in Baghbanan area of Peshawar, where he had been living along with his family members for decades.
Afghan government for years criticized Pakistan for harboring Taliban leaders and commanders on its soil, but the neighboring country always denied the allegations.
Kabul has repeatedly also asked the international community to take action and bring pressure on Pakistan to end its support and sheltering the militant groups, but seems little work has been done, as Taliban still widely enjoy their safe havens in the neighboring country.
Afghan officials on several occasions asked the Taliban to define and explain their covered relations with Pakistan and emphasized any peace deal with the group will not bring a complete and lasting peace in Afghanistan, until Pakistan continue to support and shelter militants on its soil.
