Alarmed by the U.S. efforts to replace them with a government to be led by former king Zahir Shah, the Taliban have started wooing important Durrani Pashtoon tribes such as the Popalzai to which Shah belonged.
A jirga of Popalzai tribal elders was held in Kandahar on Tuesday to reaffirm its support to the Taliban-led Islamic government and reject the claims of any claimant to the throne on the basis of backing from the U.S. or other powers.
A Popalzai elder Turan Abdul Khaliq, speaking on behalf of the more than 100 tribal elders who attended the jirga, said it also pledged to wage jehad against the U.S. if it dared to attack Afghanistan.
The Popalzai jirga was presided by Haji Lal Mohammad, who served as a member of Afghanistans parliament during Zahir Shahs reign. Elders from the Kandahar, Helmand, Urozgan and Zabul provinces were invited to the jirga.
The Popalzai Durrani tribe provided the kings that ruled Afghanistan from 1747 to 1978 when the communists seized power through a military coup.
Pro-Zahir Shah forces have also been holding jirgas in his support in Peshawar and Quetta.
Taliban woo Pashtoon Popalzai tribe
Alarmed by the U.S. efforts to replace them with a government to be led by former king Zahir Shah, the Taliban have started wooing important Durrani Pashtoon tribes such as the Popalzai to which Shah belonged.
