Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Speech Offers Rare Glimpse Into Taliban Inner Politics

Ayesha Tanzeem

   Offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Afghan Taliban,
   the group publicly shared a speech in which its deputy leader seemed to
   be chiding a gathering of Taliban fighters for their internal
   rivalries, lack of motivation, and disciplinary issues.

   The date and place of the speech by the head of the deadly Haqqani
   network, Sirajuddin Haqqani, was not clear.

   Haqqani started off by lauding his followers' performance on the
   battlefield that he said helped "crush the arrogance of the rebellious
   emperors of the world" and provided an atmosphere in which they could
   gather and "sit together with confidence."

   However, he soon turned to warnings of becoming complacent and craving
   materialism over the "sincerity and pure intentions" of the "jihad"
   that they launched two decades ago.

   "If you show such inclination, success will turn into failure and
   degradation," Haqqani warned his followers.

   He also chided Taliban members for becoming lax in jihadi duties.

   "Now, for example, in Nangarhar, we need Mujahideen formations to come
   to us from Wardak, Ghazni, other provinces, so when we say to the
   Mujahideen that they are needed there then sometimes they say: We have