KABUL - At a ceremony organized in Kabul to commemorate the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud on Monday, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, a former mujahidin leader, said that Taliban militants are not true Afghans and are working against Islam.

"The Taliban does not have enough dignity to face us and to talk with us," said Mr. Sayyaf. "The reason for not talking with us is not just dignity, but they are not civilized enough to negotiate with us."

The former Jihadi leader, who helped fight against the Soviet Union invasion during the 1980s, claimed the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were the real heroes of Afghanistan and called the fallen soldiers "true martyrs."

"You are the real heroes and genuine defenders of this land," he said speaking to a number of soldiers in attendance and providing security for the ceremony. "Those who refuse you proper funerals are the enemies of Islam and slaves to foreign interests. They receive financial support from other countries and yet claim to sit alongside us. You should be confident that you will be granted paradise because you are serving the truth and following the right path. Those who sacrifice their lives for the sake of country are the true martyrs, the prophet said."

The comments from Sayyaf did not mark the first time he has spoken against the Taliban. He had previously slammed suicide attackers, claiming their actions were unforgivable.

"Anyone acting against the Quran will be destroyed and never forgiven by God," he said.

In contrast to the opinions stated by Sayyaf on Monday, and previously before that, members of the Taliban and other militant Islamist groups consider their suicide attacks a form of martyrdom that deserves the highest honour and praise. Back in July, during the month of Ramazan, Taliban leaders said their attacks would increase as the prize for martyrdom during the holy month was greater.

Afghan and foreign intelligence has provided consistent evidence that many Taliban insurgents are trained and equipped across the border in madrassas in Pakistan. A number of attempted suicide-bombers that have been apprehended by Afghan security forces in the past were mere children, who reported that they were told in such madrassas that they would be granted paradise if they blew themselves up and killed "infidels."

Peace negotiations with the Taliban has been a top priority for the Afghan government, but peace efforts undertaken over the years have not yielded any positive outcome. 2013 saw one of the deadliest fighting seasons in many years, with a hike in civilian deaths according to a mid-year report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Sayyaf's comments focused heavily on the concept of martyrdom. The ceremony he spoke at commemorating Massoud, who is considered a martyr and national hero in Afghanistan, was organized on Monday, September 9, as it marks the twelfth anniversary of Massoud's death. The former mujahidin leader was killed by unidentified Arab suicide bombers back in 2001. (Tolo News)