Mohammad Ismail Khan, a prominent figure in Afghanistan who served as Minister of Energy and Water of Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013 and before that served as the governor of Herat province, has participated in the 11th Herat Security Dialogue (HSD- XI) which is concluding in Dushanbe today. 

150 participants from 20 countries, international organizations, as well as representatives from political groups and former government officials of Afghanistan have participated in this two-day meeting that is being held in the Hyatt Regency Dushanbe Hotel under the theme of “Reimagining Afghanistan: Ways Forward”.

Amu says prominent political figures and former government officials of Afghanistan have participated in the Herat Security meeting in Dushanbe, including Mohammad Ismail Khan, Mohammad Zahir Agbar, Rahmatullah Nabil, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Mohammad Alam Izdiyar, Shokria Barikzai, and others.

Representatives of the Taliban have been invited to this conference, but they did not attend.

Expressing his views on the current situation in Afghanistan, Amir Ismail Khan emphasized that the present situation in Afghanistan is a regional and global problem, and its victim is not only Afghanistan itself.  

Answering questions from journalists, he said that the international community has a direct connection to what is happening in Afghanistan, as NATO, the United States, and others have been present there for the past 20 years.    

He, in particular, stated that Afghanistan became a victim because it did not want American presence.  

“From the regional perspective, there was a soft approach toward the Taliban. When America left, the situation changed completely.  Now, the situation is more dangerous for the region than for the international community,” said Amir Ismail Khan.  “We hope that the region realizes the reality of this danger and will be prudent.   If this is not done, not only Afghanistan will be the victim, I'm sure the region will suffer more.” 

He further noted that the opponents of the current government in Afghanistan have no disagreements among themselves, and they are waiting for favorable conditions to unite.

At the same time, he emphasized that regional meetings like the "Herat Security Dialogue", for the most part, are ineffective and only provide their participants with the opportunity to talk and express their opinions.

“It's good that these meetings allow people and the whole world to realize that the people of Afghanistan are not satisfied with the current situation and that there is extreme oppression and tyranny in Afghanistan.  But they [meetings] are ineffective for solving problems,” Ismail Khan said.   

He also stated that the international community, especially foreign countries, not only continues intervening in the situation in Afghanistan but is also at the center of the problems in the country.

Ismail Khan’s reputation gained him the nickname “Lion of Herat.”  Ismail Khan was a key member of the now exiled political party Jamiat-e Islami and of the now defunct United National Front party.  In 2021, Ismail Khan returned to arms to help defend Herat from the Taliban's offensive, which he and the Afghan Army lost.  He was then captured by the Taliban forces and then reportedly fled to Iran on August 16, 2021. 

The previous 10th Herat Security Dialogue (HSD- X) was also held in Dushanbe on November 29-30 last year under the theme of “Inclusive Political System: The Way forward”. 

After more than two years since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the situation in the country continues to deteriorate steadily. Over this period, Afghanistan's economic state has significantly worsened.

The Afghan conflict is becoming one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.  The 1973 coup heralded five decades of unending political instability, regime change, foreign invasion, civil war, political oppression, and more importantly human suffusing.

The Herat Security Dialogue (HSD) is an annual international conference, held by the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS). It is attended by government officials, international organization delegates, legislators, academic experts, distinguished journalists, business delegates, media and civil society representatives.

Established in Afghanistan in October 2012, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) is a premier research institution aimed at creating an intellectual space for addressing strategic issues pertaining to Afghanistan in the wider regional and international contexts.  AISS seeks to foster timely discussions on Afghanistan by publishing high-quality research reports and promoting dialogue amongst a wide spectrum of stakeholders. 

Afghanistan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) has opened its UK office  after the collapse of Afghanistan to resume AISS activities following its relocation to the UK.  AISS-UK was established within the University of Sussex with the logistics, academic and intellectual support of the University of Sussex, and financial support of Research England, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to continue its activities.  AISS-UK has acquired legal and corporate status under legal registration of the UK Company House as an independent research organization.