The U.S. Department of State’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said on Tuesday that the Taliban’s severing of ties with terrorists has been and will continue to be a priority in U.S. engagement with the regime.
During a press briefing on July 16, Miller was asked about the Taliban’s ties to the terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan. He responded that the U.S. continues to urge the Taliban to ensure such attacks are not launched from Afghanistan soil.
He noted that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists and terrorists. “We have a shared interest with the Pakistani people and the Government of Pakistan in combating threats to regional security,” he emphasized.
Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist attacks since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates, which share ideologies and ties with the Afghan Taliban, have intensified violence against Pakistani security forces and civilians.
In the past two days, at least 12 Pakistani security forces and five civilians have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghanistan border. The Pakistani Army claimed that the attacks were carried out by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a militant group affiliated with the TTP, based in Afghanistan.
While the Taliban denies their ties with terrorist groups and support for the TTP, numerous reports, including those from the UN, indicate that their connections with these groups have increased since their takeover of Afghanistan.
Earlier, a report from the UN Sanction Monitoring Committee revealed that the relationship between the Taliban and terrorist groups, including the TTP, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS, remains close, with members of these groups deeply entrenched within the Taliban ranks.
The report highlighted that ISIS has been persistent in seeking expertise in developing chemical weapons and acquiring and operating drones. According to the report, the terrorist group aims to conduct attacks in Asia and Europe, with ambitions to extend its reach to the US.
Regarding the TTP, the UN report highlighted that the group previously assisted the Taliban in their conflict against the republic government and its Western allies. Now, some Taliban members have joined the TTP, viewing it as a religious obligation to provide support.
In a report last year, the UN Security Council disclosed that Al-Qaeda is actively working to enhance its operational capabilities in Afghanistan, with 30 to 60 senior figures positioned in Kabul, Kandahar, and Kunar provinces.
The report noted that Al-Qaeda uses Afghanistan as an ideological and logistical hub to recruit new fighters and “covertly rebuild its external operations capability.”
According to the UN, Al-Qaeda operates training camps in 10 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and runs five madrassas, or religious schools, in Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Parwan provinces.
