Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Quomi claimed on Tuesday that Afghanistan is part of the “axis of resistance” and Afghan martyrs would be willing to travel the distance to fight in Gaza, according to a Middle East Monitoring Research Institute’s (MEMRI) translation of an interview given on Iranian TV. 

"Afghanistan is quite far away from Gaza. But what is clear to us today is that Afghanistan is part of the axis of resistance,” Quomi said. “If there is an opportunity and a need, more than one military division of martyrdom-seekers can go from Afghanistan to support Gaza."

The Taliban, a terrorist group of radical Islamic terrorists known for their policies limiting the rights and freedoms of women, retook Afghanistan in 2022 following the United States's pull out from the country. 

In a report from October 7, the same day Hamas launched a devastating terror attack against Israel which took the lives of over 1200 people, the Taliban had asked Iran for safe passage to Israel so that they could help Hamas “conquer Jerusalem.” 

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site where an explosive-laden vehicle detonated amidst an attack on a Sikh Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 18, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/ALI KHARA)
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site where an explosive-laden vehicle detonated amidst an attack on a Sikh Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 18, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/ALI KHARA)

Iranian tensions with the Taliban

Despite what is now a seeming unity under the “axis of resistance,” the Jerusalem Post reported in May that tensions were high between the Taliban and Iran. The Taliban threatened to conquer Iran over water disputes, which left at least three people dead. In August the Post also reported that the Taliban had detained an Iranian state media journalist.