Former Afghan military commander Sami Sadat has declared that it is time to wrest Afghanistan from Taliban control, stating he can mobilize “thousands” toward that goal. In a bold message marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, Sadat presented himself as a new-generation leader with a vision for a free, self-reliant Afghanistan.
“I have a moral obligation to change this situation,” Sadat wrote in the UK’s Spectator magazine. “I am part of a new generation of Afghan leaders raised with hope for a better Afghanistan.”
Sadat now heads a group he calls the United Front of Afghanistan. He claims the strategy and leadership required to launch a resistance campaign are already in place—and this time, it will be done without foreign boots on the ground.
He called on the U.S. to grant access to Afghanistan’s frozen assets, claiming that with these funds, he could launch a campaign to establish safe havens for women, minorities, and returning refugees. “If the United States allows us access to our own money, we can begin the work of liberating our country,” he said. “The world needs a partner in Afghanistan—and that partner is not the Taliban.”
In his essay, Sadat laid out a clear case for military resistance. He said that the only viable path forward is an insurgency-style campaign inside Afghanistan targeting Taliban leadership. He urged Britain to support this effort, even without the United States, citing the UK’s political leverage and historical involvement in the region.
He also argued that aiding Afghans in their struggle against the Taliban is the best way to address migration pressures, particularly the influx of refugees arriving in Britain by boat. “Afghanistan’s exiles want to return home, but lack the support to build a different future,” he wrote.
Sadat warned that under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become a hub for global terrorism. He cited evidence of the Taliban’s ties to al-Qaeda, their harboring of extremists from Central Asia, and support for groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He also noted the Taliban’s failure to stop attacks by ISIS that have targeted Central Asia and Russia—attacks, he claimed, that were planned from Afghan soil.
“The only question,” he wrote, “is when—not if—a terror attack from Afghanistan reaches Europe or the U.S.”
