By Fatema Adeeb in Tolo News, Sept 09, 2023 at 8:24 PM
New US intelligence assessments suggest that it is “unlikely” al Qaeda will revive in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that counterterrorism operations by the “Taliban” in Afghanistan have degraded the Islamic State’s presence there, senior US officials said on Friday.
They added that the terrorist presence in Afghanistan has been waning despite the US military’s withdrawal from the country in 2021.
According to US officials, “ISIS-K has been under increasing pressure from the Taliban and many of its key leaders have fled the country in recent months,” and “the threat from al Qaeda, meanwhile, is at its lowest point in decades.”
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the soil of Afghanistan is safe and that no terrorist group exists on Afghan territory.
“There is no doubt that we created a government that ensures security, and all sides accept that Afghanistan is safe and is not a threat to anyone and is not a problem for anyone,” Mujahid noted.
Some analysts asked the current government to take the necessary measures against terrorist groups, especially the Khorasan branch of Daesh, in order to reassure the international community.
“The strictness of the Taliban government against Daesh is already tangible, and the fact that an American official expresses optimism is a positive step,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst.
“A positive view can have positive effect on diplomatic relations between countries,” said Sadiq Shinwari, another military analyst.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden in response to a question about “mistakes in Afghanistan withdrawal,” said: “Remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al-Qaida would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there. I said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right.”
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185026
