Kabul: The Administrative Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban government, Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi, has emphasized maintaining good relations with neighboring countries while warning against interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Khairkhwah Market in Kabul, he asserted Afghanistan’s right to self-defense if provoked.
Without naming any specific country, Hanafi stated, “It is natural that if someone interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, then Afghanistan has the religious and international right to defend itself. If someone throws a stone at us, we are compelled—if not with a stone, then at least with a pebble—to respond.”
His remarks come amid increasing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over alleged cross-border militant activity.
The Taliban government claims that fighters of the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) are infiltrating from Pakistan to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan accuses the Taliban of providing safe havens to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who have launched attacks on Pakistani security forces.
On February 10, Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, addressed the UN Security Council, alleging that Afghanistan remains a recruitment hub for ISIS-K and that terrorist groups continue to operate within the country. He warned that such activities pose a serious threat not only to Afghanistan’s stability but to the entire region and beyond.
UN counterterrorism officials have also voiced concerns over ISIS-K’s growing influence. Vladimir Voronkov, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Counterterrorism, stated that the group is recruiting fighters in Central Asia and has attempted to plot attacks in Europe. He warned that Afghanistan must not become a “safe haven for terrorism” once again.
However, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected these claims. In a statement issued on February 11, Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi dismissed Munir Akram’s allegations as baseless.
"The international community should rest assured that after the Islamic Emirate [Taliban government] took power, ISIS-K and other terrorist groups have been completely eliminated. There are no safe havens for such groups in Afghanistan, and no country faces any threat from Afghan soil," the statement read.
