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US officials debunk UNSC report on growth of terrorist groups in Afghanistan
US officials have dismissed the recent UN Security Council Sanctions Committee report on terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan and said their intelligence does not match that issued by the UN.
Speaking to VOA, a number of American officials said they have not seen evidence that confirms the findings of the United Nations.
The Analysis and Monitoring Group of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee said in its recent report that terrorist groups in Afghanistan have more freedom of action compared to the past and terrorist threats are increasing in Afghanistan and the region.
But one American official told Voice of America on condition of anonymity that this information "does not match the analysis of our intelligence community."
The United Nations report also stated that al-Qaeda and ISIS have also established training camps in different provinces of Afghanistan.
According to United Nations assessments, there are 30 to 60 high-ranking officials of al-Qaeda in the provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Kunar and Kabul, and a total of about 400 fighters of this group and 1,600 members of their families are present in various training camps in Afghanistan.
The report also stated the Khorasan branch of ISIS has 4,000 to 6,000 members in Afghanistan and has camps and shelters in at least 13 provinces of Afghanistan.
A senior American official spoke more frankly about this and told VOA: "The estimates about the number of members of al-Qaeda and ISIS in the United Nations report are irregular and scattered compared to the information of the American intelligence community and the estimates of our partners and allies."
The official also said that according to U.S. assessments, fewer than 12 major al-Qaeda members are currently in Afghanistan, and that no major al-Qaeda leader is in Afghanistan after the U.S. killed the group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul.
He said that al-Qaeda has not revived its presence in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in August 2021, and that the organization does not appear to have established training camps in Afghanistan.
The United States has also denied information from some members of the United Nations that Saif al-Adel, also called Ibrahim al-Madani, the leader of al-Qaeda, left his base in Iran and visited Afghanistan in 2022. At least one member of the United Nations has said that Saif al-Adel is currently based in Afghanistan.
This American official said that the Khorasan branch of ISIS has not been able to achieve its goal of attacking the United States in the past two years.
Ten people were killed by unknown individuals in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province on Thursday night, police said on Friday.
The incident happened as the victims were doing Zikr at a mosque in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district, police said in a statement.
The statement said that they used to regularly go to mosques and monasteries at night after returning from work.
Abdul Ghayoor Khadim, a provincial police official, said that several people were arrested in connection with the incident, adding that an investigation was launched.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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