According to a UN report, after the Taliban again seized power in Afghanistan, the terrorist group al-Qaeda systematically undermined state structures.
“Under the auspices of senior officials in the de facto Taliban authorities, al-Qaeda members are infiltrating law enforcement agencies and public administrations, ensuring the security of al-Qaeda cells scattered across the country,” according to a report released to the UN this week – Security Council was sent.
Taliban-al-Qaeda relationship ‘symbiotic’
Al Qaeda is operating largely covertly in Afghanistan to maintain the narrative that the Taliban are honoring agreements not to use Afghan soil for terrorist purposes, it says. But the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda remains “close and symbiotic”.
The group uses “Afghanistan as an ideological and logistical hub to mobilize and recruit new fighters while covertly rebuilding its external operational capabilities.” Training centers are being set up in Kunar and Nuristan provinces, while cooperation with non-Afghan terrorist groups is being promoted.
US troop withdrawal met with international criticism
In 2001, US-led foreign troops invaded Afghanistan in response to the terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001. At the time, the international operation led to the fall of the Taliban government, the al-Qaeda terrorists’ hideout had granted. The military operation cost huge sums of money, tens of thousands of civilians and Afghan security forces lost their lives, as did several thousand international soldiers, including 2,461 Americans.
At the end of August 2021, the last US troops finally left Afghanistan. This ended the international military operation in the country after almost 20 years – after the Taliban had just taken power in Kabul again. The withdrawal of troops initiated by the Americans turned out to be chaotic and met with international criticism and incomprehension.
Taliban spokesman Sabihullah Mujahid dismissed the UN report as untrue. Al Qaeda has no presence in Afghanistan and the Taliban would not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against the security of another country.
