Ismail Khan, an Afghan leader, has said in a message marking the fourth anniversary of the fall of Herat to the Taliban that the group’s actions over the past four years demonstrate the “legitimacy of the resistance” by its opponents.

Ismail Khan described the fall of Herat as the result of “complex conspiracies and political deal-making,” after which Afghanistan’s major provinces fell one after another.

Herat was captured by the Taliban on 12 August, four years ago today. In his message, Ismail Khan wrote that before the city’s fall, the “Southwest People’s Resistance Movement” had been formed, and its forces had taken part in the defence of the city. However, he said, the course of events led to a “dangerous regression.”

He also described the fall of Kabul as “the end of a multi-layered intelligence project,” paid tribute to those killed during that period, and called for efforts “by every possible means” to establish a “justice-based” order.