On June 27, 2021, Syria-based Saudi jihadi cleric Abdallah Al-Muhaysini tweeted [1] a call to bolster ties between Turkey and Afghanistan’s Taliban. Commenting briefly on a potentially closer relationship, Al-Muhaysini wrote: “It is proper for Muslim Turkey, which supported people and provided refuge to the oppressed, to be supportive of the Taliban. Likewise, it is proper for the Taliban to take their Turkish brothers as loyal allies. It is vital to build bridges of trust and strengthen the relationship, for that is in the interest of Muslims in general.”
Responding to Al-Muhaysini’s tweet, a Twitter user [2] posted a tweet denouncing him for calling Turkey and Taliban “brothers” and recommending strengthening relations between them. In the tweet, which was retweeted by Jordanian Salafi-jihadi ideologue Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, suggesting endorsement, the user rebuked Al-Muhaysini, writing: “Say the truth and do not dance around. How is it that the Turkish regime and its military became brothers with the Taliban and participated in the occupation of Afghanistan with NATO, and they were entrusted with controlling Kabul airport after the American withdrawal? What kind of brotherhood will there be with a secularist occupier that supports the Crusaders against Muslims?”
The same exact words were echoed by a Telegram channel affiliated with Al-Maqdisi.[3]
