Kabul: The Taliban government has strongly reacted to recent remarks made by Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, regarding the presence of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement late on Tuesday, February 11, rejecting Pakistan’s claims and asserting that most security incidents in Afghanistan originate from Pakistan.
According to the statement released by the Taliban’s spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, have been dismantled in Afghanistan, and their hideouts have been eliminated under Taliban rule.
Pakistan’s UN envoy, Munir Akram, speaking at a UN Security Council session on February 10 regarding the global threats posed by ISIS, claimed that Afghanistan remains a hub for ISIS-K recruitment and operational facilitation. Citing UN reports, he stated that ISIS-K does not recruit militants from Pakistan but operates extensively within Afghanistan.
However, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry dismissed these allegations as "baseless accusations." The statement assured the international community that Afghanistan no longer harbors terrorist groups and does not pose a threat to any country. It further alleged that recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan were planned in Pakistan, with perpetrators crossing over from the other side of the Durand Line.
The UN Security Council session also saw warnings from other officials regarding the threat posed by ISIS-K. Vladimir Voronkov, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, emphasized that ISIS-K is not only a major security threat to Afghanistan but also to the wider region and beyond. He noted reports of foreign terrorist fighters still traveling to Afghanistan and urged global cooperation to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for terrorist activities.
Meanwhile, former Afghan lawmaker Arif Rahmani criticized Pakistan’s shifting stance on Afghanistan, questioning its role in supporting the Taliban’s return to power while now expressing concerns about terrorist threats from the country. Rahmani accused Pakistan of having supported and equipped Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants for over four decades, only to now claim concerns over terrorism in Afghanistan.
He further highlighted that regional powers, including Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan, are now facing complex challenges following the Taliban's takeover, as they had expected the Taliban to prevent other extremist groups from operating in Afghanistan.
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to avoid falling for what it described as misleading propaganda aimed at destabilizing Afghanistan. It accused certain countries of using such narratives to divert attention from their internal security and economic issues.
Despite the Taliban’s claims that terrorist groups have been eradicated from Afghanistan, ISIS-K has continued to carry out deadly attacks in the country. The group has frequently targeted the Shia Hazara minority, including a suicide bombing in December 2024 that targeted Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the acting minister for refugees and repatriation, killing and injuring several people.
Just yesterday, a suicide bombing occurred outside a Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz province, killing at least five people and injuring seven others, according to Taliban security officials, later claimed by ISIS-K.
