Former Afghan Diplomat Fazlollah Momtaz: The International Community Cares Only About Preventing Terrorism, But Afghanistan Needs Immediate Humanitarian Aid; Journalists Fear For Their Lives And Cannot Convey The True Voice Of The Afghan People

Former Afghan diplomat Fazlollah Momtaz said that all the international community cares about is preventing terrorism in Afghanistan, while the Afghan people are facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” if they does not receive aid. He made his remarks in an interview that aired on Sky News Arabia (UAE) on September 18, 2021. Momtaz said that if other countries, such as the UAE, want to help Afghanistan, they should send an airlift immediately, because once a humanitarian catastrophe erupts, aid will not be helpful. He further said that journalists in Afghanistan are the “weakest link” and that they fear for their lives, and therefore cannot convey the real voice of the Afghan people to the world. Momtaz added that dozens of Afghan refugees were killed on the borders of Iran and Pakistan, and that he has seen pictures of beheadings. He explained that solutions such as having Afghans leave to other countries are not feasible because it is impossible to leave the country without visas or passports.

Fazlollah Momtaz: “Let me reiterate that all the international intelligence reports about Afghanistan do not originate directly from inside Afghanistan – they originate from abroad, like it used to be in the past. These intelligence reports fooled the entire world, and the rapid upheavals that took place in Afghanistan took the world by surprise, nobody foresaw them. I am telling you – they were too late. Each time [representatives of the international community] hold talks with the Taliban, they focus on one issue, and one issue only – fighting terrorism and Afghanistan not becoming a sanctuary for terrorism. This is all they discuss.

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“Well, since you mentioned the neighboring countries… Many analysts who speak on the various satellite TV channels and in the media do not speak the truth, not because they do not know the truth, but because they fear for their lives. Journalists are the weakest link in Afghanistan now. Western countries always say that protecting journalists is the number one priority, but this is nothing but a lie. The truth is that they cannot convey the voice of the Afghan people to the international community. Similarly, the neighboring countries who say that they help the refugees – that is also a lie.

“Let me tell you, on the border between Afghanistan and Iran… I have proof in the form of horrible pictures of people whose heads were chopped off, dozens of people were killed by the Iranians. This really happened. It is the same at the border with Pakistan. No one is allowed to exit Afghanistan without visas and without passports.

“The international community speaks about [Afghans] leaving to second or third countries. How are these wretched people supposed to leave Afghanistan? Let me tell you, if the international community wants to send humanitarian aid, like the UAE, then they should immediately send aid and organize an airlift to Afghanistan in order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. After a humanitarian catastrophe happens, and after epidemics and diseases break out, how will the humanitarian aid that they talk about help the Afghan people?”