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Security adviser warns of Afghanistan becoming safe haven for terrorists
Afghanistan again is facing serious threat of becoming a safe haven for terrorists, National Security Adviser said.
Hanif Atmar in an interview with a foreign press voiced his concern over presence of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda groups in Afghanistan and called on US and NATO for help.
“The militants have not been degraded, they have regenerated themselves,” Atmar told to Associate Press.
Atmar warned the insurgent groups are reinventing themselves, joining forces, and drawing funds and support from outside as they take advantage of a perceived weakness of Afghan forces following the end of the U.S.-led international combat mission last year.
Security adviser said several groups are now using Afghanistan as a staging ground to reach their “home countries,” including China, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, and Russia.
“What needs to be well understood is that the symbiotic network of terrorists that we are confronted with is going to be a threat to every country in this region and by extension the whole world,” Atmar said.
“We are hoping that assessment is shared not just by Central Asia, Russia and China, but by our neighbors to the south and east,” he said, referring principally to Pakistan.
He said the Islamic State group now poses an “existential threat” because it no longer includes only disaffected Taliban, unhappy with the lack of progress after years of fighting to topple the Kabul government, but has an “institutional connection” to the group’s leadership in Iraq and Syria.
“What these groups need to survive and to grow is sanctuaries, whether in Pakistan or Afghanistan. They’ve had them in Pakistan for decades now,” Atmar noted.
“Unless we get rid of the Taliban, either through counter-terrorism or through peace and reconciliation, these elements will grow because they need a host, and they need a recruitment facility. And we should not allow the Afghan Taliban to grow into that kind of facility for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan Senate House criticized national security adviser of not informing the National Assembly; citing he should be summoned to the Senate.
“I wonder why our authorities do not share these statements with the representatives of our people,” Senator Nesar Haris said.
“The national security adviser has seriously warned of Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists, he must be summoned to the Senate for clarifications,” Senator Layloma Ahmadi said.
However, Afghan analysts say that Afghanistan would not become a safe haven for terrorist groups unless the politicians want to.
“Afghan people would never allow any terrorist groups to make the country a safe haven unless the politicians want to,” Aziz Rafi, civil activist said.
The 2015 fighting season between the Taliban and Afghan security forces is turning out to be the bloodiest on record since 2001.
Insecurity has significantly increased throughout the country, civilian deaths have shot up, and the Afghan security forces are taking large, and potentially unsustainable, casualties.
The Afghan forces also suffer from financial problems and deficiencies in logistics, intelligence resources, and special support functions, including medical evacuation. The lack of Afghan close-air-support assets is particularly problematic and a great boost to the insurgency.
Although Afghanistan passed through a critical juncture in the fall of 2014, when after an election, power was peacefully handed over to a new government, the country continues to face a series of political tripwires.
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Pakistan’s mistakes played significant role in rise of terrorism: Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman
Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, chief of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party, has said that Pakistan’s mistakes played a significant role in the rise of terrorism.
In an interview with Samaa TV, the politician noted that Pakistan provided refuge to 30 to 40 million people during the Afghan war against the Soviet Union.
Rehman expressed his concern about the possibility of a war with Afghanistan, saying: “Whether there is a threat of war with Afghanistan or not requires further thought. War would not be beneficial for either Afghanistan or Pakistan.
“We need a comprehensive strategy for peace in Afghanistan, and the rulers must think about these matters and involve all political parties,” he said.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that militants attacking Pakistan have sanctuaries in Afghanistan, a charge the Islamic Emirate denies.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Sunday inaugurated the start of construction work on the Arghandi Transport Terminal in Paghman District of Kabul Province.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Acting Minister of Transport and Aviation, Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada, representatives from the private sector, and a number of local residents.
Baradar said the initiative was a vital step in the development of transport infrastructure in the country.
He stated that the development and expansion of transport infrastructure is an essential step toward economic growth, national development, and domestic and regional connectivity.
According to him, decades of war and corruption resulted in the sector having been neglected.
He said existing infrastructure has deteriorated due to poor quality construction; public lands have been usurped by individuals; and that highways and roads have been significantly narrowed.
Baradar also pointed out the need for investment in the transport sector; for the recovery of usurped state land; and the identification and restoration of original roads. He said these factors were among the core national objectives of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
In line with these goals, construction work on the Arghandi Transport Terminal got underway on Sunday.
Baradar said the Islamic Emirate is not only firmly committed to the development and expansion of transport infrastructure but is also actively pursuing other fundamental strategic objectives.
The Arghandi Transport Terminal in Kabul Province will be constructed on approximately 900 jeribs of land and will cost about 1.285 billion afghanis.
The project is expected to be completed by the private sector within two years.
Upon completion, the terminal will enhance transportation facilities, play a key role in improving the efficiency and organization of logistics and transit operations, reduce transportation costs and traffic congestion, and provide employment opportunities to a large number of citizens.
Bayat Foundation distributed food packages to dozens of needy families in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province this weekend.
The packages included flour, rice, and cooking oil.
Officials of Bayat Foundation in Balkh said that aid distribution will continue in other provinces of the country until the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
“In continuation of Bayat Foundation’s assistance, this time we have distributed our Ramadan aid in Mazar-e-Sharif, which includes flour, rice, and cooking oil, and God willing, this assistance will continue,” Yafes Saqib, Bayat Foundation representative in Balkh, said.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries welcomed the distribution of the aid packages, saying that Bayat Foundation has played an important role in reaching out to the poor, the needy, and in reducing poverty.
“We are very happy. It is the month of Ramadan. May God help anyone who helps us poor people,” Aynuddin, an aid recipient, said.
“I don’t have a breadwinner in my family. On Thursdays, I go and collect Pepsi cans to find bread for my children,” Zarmina, another aid recipient, said.
The assistance comes at a time when international organizations have warned of increasing poverty in the country.
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