Taliban calls suicide bombers ‘heroes of Islam’, promise rewards to their families

A few months after the takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has made yet another shocking statement that has made headlines. This time, the group has shown its support for suicide bombers who attacked the US and Afghan soldiers and called them martyrs.

The Taliban has called the suicide bombers who attacked the armed forces of Afghanistan and the United States, and has called them ‘martyrs’ and ‘heroes’. The group has also decided to provide the families of these bombers with cash rewards and plots of land.

This has been regarded as a provocative gesture on the Taliban’s behalf, which is running counter to the group’s effort to develop solid international relations after forming a new government. These statements were made by the Taliban’s acting interior minister.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the interior minister of Afghanistan, offered a cash reward and plots of land to the dozens of family members of suicide bombers, who had gathered at a hotel in Kabul, Interior Ministry spokesman Saeed Khosty tweeted on Tuesday.

Haqqani further addressed the gathering of family members and dubbed the bombers as “martyrs and fedayeen”. Haqqani also called them “heroes of Islam and the country,” as per his spokesman. The minister then distributed 10,000 afghanis (USD 112) per family and promised each a plot of land.

A photo was also posted of Haqqani as he was hugging the family members of the suicide attackers, with his face blurred out. He publicly appreciated the “sacrifice” that the bombers made for the nation, and said that he would be making sure that the families are compensated for the same.

This comes a month after the Taliban announced its cabinet of ministers to run the government in Afghanistan, after which the group received a lot of backlash for having a non-inclusive cabinet with no female members. The Taliban has since been trying to establish international relations with several countries.