The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, rejected the remarks of US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul claiming the Islamic Emirate was supporting the al-Qaeda group.
Mujahid told TOLOnews that the Islamic Emirate does not have relations with any terrorist group.
“We reject these remarks. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not in contact or communication with any external direction, and the Daesh threats regarding the country’s interest and security have also been resolved,” the spokesman said.
“It is possible that some al-Qaeda members who previously cooperated with the Taliban, live under the Taliban’s rule and benefit from their services; But I don’t think that they are involved in organized terrorist activities,” said Asadullah Nadim, another military analyst.
US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman in a press release claimed that the Islamic Emirate is paying, protecting and employing al-Qaeda.
“If the Taliban were truly upholding their counterterrorism obligations, they would work to defeat al Qaeda instead of paying, protecting, and employing them,” said Chairman McCaul. “I am gravely concerned the Biden administration is trying to hide this fact from the American people so the Taliban can be excluded from a future AUMF as part of a broader effort to normalize relations with them. And I will not stand by and allow them to do this.”
McCaul noted in the press release that “in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week, top Biden administration officials attempted to downplay the Taliban’s terrorist ties in an effort to exclude them from an updated authorized use of military force (AUMF). They repeatedly claimed the Taliban is meeting their counterterrorism obligations under the Doha agreement because they are working to defeat ISIS-K.”
“The Taliban took a very serious action against these groups during the past two years, destroyed some of the members of these groups and imprisoned some of them,” said Sadiq Shinwari, a military analyst.
This comes as recent regional and international meetings have raised concerns about the existence and operations of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, an issue that the Islamic Emirate has always dismissed.
