A recent report launched by the UN Security Council has warned that transnational terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State are growing in strength in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and could potentially pose threat for the outside world.
The report has taken a look at the activities of Al-Qaeda, the militant Islamic State (IS) group and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the wider region and concluded that Al-Qaeda and IS’s threat remains high in conflict-hit regions and the neighbouring countries though both of these terrorist groups could attempt to strike in non-conflict areas.
The report also confirms that the TTP, which is currently holding peace talks with Pakistan government, is said to be the largest grouping of foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, with strength of 3,000 to 4,000 fighters.
In one of the member state’s assessments, TTP is now more cohesive and presents a greater threat to the region.
As against this, the report underscores that Al-Qaeda is not an immediate international threat from its safe havens in Afghanistan because it lacks an external operational capability and does not currently wish to cause the Taliban international difficulty or embarrassment.
The Taliban Government has repeatedly declared that it would not allow any terrorist group or entity to operate from its territory and inflict harm on another country.
However, it has to be acknowledged that the fragile Taliban Government is not expected to take decisive action against these groups because of limitations in the backdrop of virtual boycott of the country by the international community.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the outside world to extend a helping hand to the Taliban Government in terms of financial, economic and military assistance to help cope with the challenge in an effective manner.
There is willingness on the part of the Taliban to act and the international community should seize the opportunity of eliminating the threat before it becomes a monster again.
As for TTP-related findings of the report, these confirm the viewpoint of Pakistan but unfortunately some countries tend to ignore the threat as it is mainly against Pakistan.
This selective approach to the problem of terrorism needs to be shunned.
