Fetrat: Islamic Emirate Committed to Counterterrorism in Afghanistan

The Islamic Emirate considers the concern of some countries at the meeting of the National Security Advisors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be misplaced.

The Islamic Emirate denies the presence of terrorist groups in the country and adds that they have undertaken a serious fight against terrorist groups.

Hamdullah Fetrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said, “Some countries claim that there are terrorist groups in Afghanistan and it is a threat, but the Islamic Emirate is committed to fighting terrorist groups and does not allow its territory to be used against any country.”

In the 19th meeting of the National Security Advisors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, some countries including India, Russia, and Kazakhstan expressed their concerns about the presence of terrorist groups and their threats from Afghanistan to the countries in the region.

The Russian news agency TASS, quoting the National Security Advisor of Russia, wrote that these countries have asked the Taliban to fulfill their commitments in the fight against terrorist groups.

“The heads of delegations called on the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to consistently fulfill their obligations in the field of counterterrorism, especially in preventing the activities of international terrorist organizations and other groups based on Afghan soil that pose a serious threat to the SCO space,” Nikolai Patrushev said.

Tariq Farhadi, an international relations expert, told TOLOnews, “ISIS is a group that is an enemy to all, but thank God, the attackers in Moscow did not have any Afghan passports.”

According to some Indian media, at this meeting, the National Security Advisor of India also assured that focusing on establishing an inclusive government, preserving the rights of women and minorities are among the immediate priorities of this organization in Afghanistan.

Najib Rahman Shamal, an expert in international relations, said, “In the recent meeting of this organization, the issue of security threats from Afghanistan was discussed again, and the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have asked Afghanistan to take necessary actions regarding the terrorist sanctuaries present in Afghanistan.”

The meeting, which was held for two days in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, ended on Thursday. Previously, the United States Department of State had also emphasized the fight of the caretaker government against terrorist groups, adding that their country must ensure that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for terrorists.