Meeting Zabiullah Mujahid
Al-Jazeera have just published an excellent documentary following the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. I thought I’d share it with you as it gives an incredible insight into the mindset of the Taliban and more importantly clearly explores the groups own narrative of itself. It’s a must watch for anyone interested in the direction Afghanistan is taking.
Al Jazeera describes their access to the spokesman as unprecedented and rare, but members of the Safarāt ‘Past and Present’ group were able to meet, talk to and ask questions of Zabihaullah Mujahid this spring in Kandahar.
Mujahid is the most senior public facing member of the Taliban and is seen by many as one the key deputies for the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada. Its equivalent to going on holiday to the United States and being invited for tea with Kamala Harris or visiting the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a weekend in London.
Member’s of the ‘Past and Present’ group meet Zabiullah Mujahid in Kandahar. I rarely post or take pictures posing with members of the Taliban - we are not in Afghanistan to endorse the group or their government.
This is the kind of access I dreamed of getting for our travellers when I founded Safarāt – we wanted to create journeys for people who don’t normally do tours and want to experience real insight into places that few get to get under the skin of.
The window for this kind of meeting is very limited and will decrease with time. Foreign travellers are still seen as a curiosity in Afghanistan, and even very senior members of the Taliban are keen to share what they see as their side of the story and want to personally welcome those who are visiting.
As the Al-Jazeera documentary highlights, to senior leaders like Mujahid there is still a benign novelty in being able to walk in the open, or get on a domestic flight to Kabul after 20 years of hiding in the mountains.
If all this appeals to you, there is still time to come and join us on our 7-night trip between Kabul and Kandahar (…although it is unlikely we get the chance to meet Zabiullah Mujahid again!). We are looking for three additional travellers to join us on our ‘Introducing Afghanistan’ trip between 22nd and 29th October 2023.
What we can promise is that you’ll get to meet plenty of interesting Afghans and that you will leave with incredible stories and a far better understanding of Afghanistan. You’ll be visiting Kabul, Bamyan, Ghazni and Kandahar on our journey.