Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s Defense Minister, has stated that Islam is a religion of moderation, and those who veer into extremism or negligence are misguided. His remarks come as the Taliban continues to face widespread accusations of religious extremism, particularly regarding its treatment of women, girls, and minority communities.
“The Islamic faith is balanced, but some people sometimes take an extreme or negligent path, which is a mistake,” Yaqoob said in a recent statement.
The Taliban has been condemned globally for banning girls’ education beyond primary school and for its hardline interpretation of Islamic law. Despite such policies, Yaqoob rejected any suggestion of factionalism within the group. Addressing persistent reports of internal rifts between the so-called “Kandahari” and “Kabul” factions of the Taliban, he claimed: “Differences in perspective may exist anywhere, but there is no division—only a matter of stronger obedience.”
Yaqoob also denied any ongoing ties between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, saying: “Those relations were severed after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.”
On the Taliban’s increasingly strained relationship with Pakistan, Yaqoob expressed dissatisfaction, stating: “Our relations are not normal, and I am not happy about it. They must be normalized.” His comments reflect growing tensions between the two former allies amid Pakistan’s mass deportations of migrants from Afghanistan and border skirmishes.
