Externally-aided insurgency threat to Afghanistan: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from an externally supported insurgency, the Pentagon told Congress on Thursday and warned state support for terrorist proxies would not be tolerated.

“Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from an externally supported insurgency and the highest regional concentration of terrorist groups in the world,” the Pentagon said in its semi-annual Afghan report to Congress

These pervasive insurgent, terrorist and criminal networks constitute a threat to Afghanistan’s stability.  Revenue from drug trafficking, taxation/extortion, illicit mining and foreign financial support continue to sustain the insurgency.  Additionally, extortion and kidnappings by low-level criminal networks continued, it said.

 According to the report, the Afghanistan-Pakistan (HQN), Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT), Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS-K, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

“Terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the border present security challenges for Afghanistan and Pakistan and pose a threat to regional security and stability,” said the report that covers events in Afghanistan from June 2018 to November 2018.

The Pentagon said the existence of more than 20 terrorist or insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including ISIS-K, required an Afghan-supported US platform in the region to monitor, contain and respond to the threats.

“Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain groups, such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, retain freedom of movement in Pakistan.  The United States continues to convey to all levels of Pakistani leadership the importance of taking action against all terrorist and militant groups,” it added.

The report continued te Haqqani network remained an integral part of the Taliban’s effort to pressure the Afghan government in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan. Sirajuddin Haqqani’s role as Taliban deputy probably increased Haqqani influence within the Taliban leadership, it said. 

The Taliban demonstrated increasing capability to threaten district centers, but Afghan forces had also proven their ability to recover district centers lost to the Taliban quickly.

Seeking to exploit ANDSF weaknesses and the reduced international military presence, the Taliban control some rural areas that lack effective Afghan government representatio. 

The South Asia Strategy, which was announced by President Donald Trump in August 2017, focused on pressuring Pakistan to limit support and safe-haven for proxy terrorist and militant groups and to play a constructive role in facilitating Afghan reconciliation, the Pentagon said.

In this reporting period, the US continued to call on regional partners to reinforce messages that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, that cross-border cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential and that the Taliban cannot achieve their objectives through continued military conflict.

“Regional efforts in the South Asia Strategy aim to expand burden sharing, neutralize potential spoilers to U.S. and Coalition efforts, limit threats to the United States and our allies and partners, and develop and support a durable political settlement in Afghanistan,” the Pentagon said.

mud