A United Nations Security Council monitoring report released this month has rejected the Afghan-Taliban government’s claim that terrorists belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch Liberation Army are not using Afghan territory for cross-border attacks.
The report finds the claims not reliable, warning that an uncontrolled surge of terrorist groups in the country would increase the instability in the region. The findings are included in the 16th report of the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the United Nations Security Council under resolution 2763.
The Taliban during the 2020 Doha talks promised to prevent Afghan soil from being used by terrorist groups. However, the report notes that the de facto rulers' attitude towards the proscribed groups remains a cause of worry for the international community.
According to the monitoring team, “a wide range of Member States consistently report that ISIL-K, Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaida (QDe.004), the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (QDe.088), also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIM/TIP), Jamaat Ansarullah (not listed), Ittihad-ul Mujahideen Pakistan (not listed), and others are present in Afghanistan.
Also Read: Brown University shooting suspect found dead: Police
The report also noted that more than 6000 members of TTP are a threat to Pakistan and also to regional peace. While Pakistani authorities suggest that the majority of these terrorists operate from Afghan territory.
Some groups continue to use Afghanistan to plan and execute external attacks. Regional Member States generally see Afghanistan as a source of insecurity.” Meanwhile, in a separate development, Pakistani authorities have arrested Sultan Aziz Azzam, a spokesperson for Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), according to a recent report submitted to the UN Security Council.
The UN 16th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said that IS-K’s ability to operate in the region had been degraded due to the arrest of such high-profile members by the Pakistani authorities. IS-K is an acronym for the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, a group that carries out attacks in Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics, spreading to the Caucasian region.
Also Read: Trump signs $901 billion defence bill into law
Follow us
