Taliban retain ties with Al-Qaeda, says UN report

The Taliban haven’t solely retained their ties with Al-Qaeda however have additionally assured its leaders personally that their ties will stay unaffected by their peace settlement with the United States, says a UN report launched Monday, casting severe doubt on the way forward for the Trump administration’s key international coverage achievement.

The report additionally particulars the presence of 1,020 Lashkar-e-Taiba fighters in Afghanistan working with the Taliban forces and 230 belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed. The two Pakistan-based terrorist outfits have carried out a number of assaults in India. There are in all 6,500 international terrorists from Pakistan in Afghanistan.

In an settlement signed by US and Taliban representatives in Doha on February 29, the Americans have undertaken to attract down their troops in Afghanistan in change for the Taliban committing to sure anti-terrorism measures, mainly chopping ties with terrorist teams threatening the safety of the United States or its allies, and never enable them to function from Afghanistan. Exchange of prisoners, removing of sanctions on the Taliban and the launch of intra-Afghan talks had been the opposite components.

“The Taliban regularly consulted with Al-Qaida during negotiations with the United States and offered guarantees that it would honour their historical ties,” a UN-appointed Monitoring Team mentioned in its annual report back to the UN Security Council.

It added: “Al-Qaida has reacted positively to the agreement, with statements from its acolytes celebrating it as a victory for the Taliban’s cause and thus for global militancy.”

The report refers, as proof, to a reported assembly that befell within the spring of 2019 between senior Taliban officers and Hamza bin Laden, son and successor of Osama bin Laden, “to reassure him personally that the Islamic Emirate would not break its historical ties with Al-Qaida for any price”. The Al-Qaeda chief’s demise was introduced by President Trump in September.

The monitoring workforce cited Afghan officers to element the continued presence of LeT and JeM, who, the report mentioned, had 1,020 and 230 fighters in Afghanistan respectively, “co-located” with Taliban forces. JeM didn’t determine int he workforce’s 2019 report. These teams, the repot added, “facilitate the trafficking of terrorist fighters into Afghanistan, who act as advisers, trainers and specialists in improvised explosive devices”.