Afghanistan Peace CampaignThey said that ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their affiliates remain active, with ISIS-Khorasan being one of the group’s most active branches.
The United Nations Security Council held a meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Representatives of several countries said at the meeting that 25 years later, the threat of terrorism has not disappeared and that terrorist groups have expanded the scope of their activities by changing their operational methods.
They said that ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their affiliates remain active, with ISIS-Khorasan being one of the group’s most active branches.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s representative, said: “ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan remains a serious threat, and the problem of foreign terrorist fighters who are able to transfer their battlefield experience from one region to another also persists.”
Jérôme Bonnafont, France’s representative, said: “In the Middle East, terrorist groups have taken advantage of every opportunity to establish safe havens for themselves in Afghanistan. ISIS-Khorasan is one of the most active branches of this organization.”
China’s representative at the meeting called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to effectively combat terrorist groups and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.
Sun Lei, China’s representative, said: “The Afghan government should also adapt to the situation, effectively combat all terrorist forces in Afghanistan, including the Pakistani Taliban and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, and resolutely prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.”
Pakistan claimed at the meeting that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) operate from safe havens in Afghanistan.
Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s representative, said: “Terrorism in various geographical regions, including Africa, which my colleague from Liberia elaborated on, the Middle East, and in our own neighborhood, Afghanistan, is deeply concerning.”
In response to these remarks, the Interior Ministry spokesman said Afghanistan’s territory is secure and that all groups in Afghanistan were suppressed during the first years of the Islamic Emirate.
Abdul Matin Qani, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said: “In the first, second, and third years, we eliminated all groups and factions that opposed the system, posed threats to internal and cross-border security, or had previously expanded their presence here.”
The Islamic Emirate has previously described security concerns stemming from Afghanistan as unfounded.