Taliban militants (file photo)

8am: In recent months, the Taliban regime has intensified its crackdown on dissenting clerics. These clerics have protested against the monopolization of power by the Kandahari faction of the Taliban and have called for the formation of an “inclusive government” a demand that has been repeatedly voiced over the past three and a half years but has been consistently ignored by the regime’s leadership in Kabul. The feasibility of expecting an inclusive government from the Taliban is not the focus of this discussion. However, the persistent calls for inclusivity, especially from within the Taliban’s ranks, highlight a deep-rooted and ongoing crisis that has not only persisted since the group’s return to power but has intensified. A significant and widening gap exists between the ideological framework of the Taliban’s religious doctrine and the realities on the ground in Afghanistan. The more the regime attempts to bridge this divide, its internal disagreements become apparent. These efforts continue to fail because only a faction within the Taliban fully grasps the existential threat posed by the ongoing crisis and seeks to resolve it before it spirals out of control. This faction, often referred to as the “moderate” or “pragmatic” Taliban, fears that if the current situation persists, the regime’s downfall will become inevitable. The dissenting clerics advocating for an inclusive government belong to this camp. Click here to read more (external link).