KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Members of the UN Security Council have once again expressed concern over the presence and growing capabilities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, warning that groups, particularly Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continue to threaten regional and global security.
During a security council meeting on Wednesday titled “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts,” representatives of the United States, China, and Pakistan said militant groups operating from Afghanistan remain active despite repeated Taliban assurances that Afghan territory would not be used to threaten other countries.
Tammy Bruce, the U.S. Deputy Representative to the UN, said the threat posed by ISIS-K remains persistent and that the group continues to exploit instability in the region. She said countering ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their affiliated groups remains one of Washington’s top counterterrorism priorities.
“These groups continue to exploit instability—as evidenced by al-Qaida’s gains in the Sahel, ISIL’s growing focus on Africa, and the persistent threat from ISIL-K in Afghanistan,” Bruce told the Council.
China’s Deputy Permanent Representative Sun Lei echoed the concerns, citing UN reports that show terrorist groups in Afghanistan continue to threaten the country and its neighbors. “Terrorist groups based in Afghanistan, including ISIL Khorasan, continue to increase both their intent and capability to conduct cross-border attacks,” he said.
Sun urged the Taliban authorities to honor their counter-terrorism commitments and take resolute action against all terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. He called on the international community to help Afghanistan restore its economy and improve people’s livelihoods in order to address the conditions that can fuel terrorism.
Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar called on the Security Council to address what he described as a growing terrorist threat originating from Afghanistan. He said several militant groups have expanded their activities since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Iftikhar said groups, including the TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), ISIS-K, East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), al-Qaeda, and their affiliates continue to maintain networks and safe havens in Afghanistan.
“From Afghanistan, many of these terrorist groups recruit, train, plan, and carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan with impunity. They find active external support and financing from our eastern neighbor,” Iftikhar said, referring to the increase in militant attacks inside Pakistan in recent years.
He added that the Taliban must be held accountable for ensuring Afghan territory is not used by any terrorist group to threaten or attack other states, including Pakistan, and that external sponsors of terrorism must also be held to account for supporting, financing, and arming these groups.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has heightened security concerns among neighboring countries and the wider international community. Groups including al-Qaeda, ISIS-K, TTP, and their affiliates have regrouped and stepped up activities, according to multiple reports, including those from the UN.
The Taliban authorities, however, deny the presence of such groups, claiming to have suppressed ISIS-K and asserting that Afghanistan poses no threat to any country. They also argue that neighboring states should address their own security challenges.
