KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has said the Islamic State’s existence has developed into a threat in Afghanistan and some other countries, but the Islamic Emirate spokesman said the group’s operational capabilities have been neutralized.
Zabihullah Mujahid said claims about the existence of 20 militant groups in Afghanistan, spread of arms and increasing capabilities of Daesh are baseless and in fact boosting Daesh morale and fueling instability in the region.
UNSC during a discussion on August 25 expressed concern about the increasing activities and capabilities of Islamic State (IS) in the world including Iraq and in Afghanistan.
According to a BBC report, Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, said in his report to the UNSC that besides Africa and other countries, where IS has been active, the group’s activities and threats had also increased.
The report pointed to some other terrorist groups besides IS, saying they threaten the security of the region and the world amid lack of sustainable development and bad humanitarian situation.
According to the report, in addition to activities and presence of nearly 20 different terrorist groups in Afghanistan --- despite being severely suppressed by the caretaker government of Afghanistan --- the lack of sustainable development and dire humanitarian situations are significant challenges for the region and the world.
The report added some other militant groups are active in some African countries such as Mali, Bukina Faso, Niger, Congo Democratic Republic, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Mozambique, Iraq and some other countries.
These groups threaten the stability and peace in the world and prevent chances of prosperity and the safety of human rights.
The report suggests a collective struggle from the international community to save the world from increasing threats of these groups.
But Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X: “Two high ranking officials at the UNSC provided information to the ambassadors about IS in the world and Afghanistan and repeated their claims about the presence of 20 militant groups in our country, the spread of arms and the increasing operational capabilities of Daesh”.
He said they once again reject these baseless claims and asked for transparent involvement in such issues.
He added Afghan security forces had conducted hundreds of direct operations against illegal arms and Daesh group during the past two years, seizing weapons and destroying Daesh operational capabilities.
He added: “Anyone who makes such baseless claims, they either lack enough information or want to give Daesh morale through such propaganda and fuel instability in the region”.
He said IS activities were reduced to zero in Afghanistan during the past one years and despite that such an international organization was spreading a baseless and negative propaganda without evidence. “This brings into question the credibility of this global organization”, Mujahid said.
He said: “Afghanistan is under unilateral sanctions from the UN and others, its assets are frozen which is the main reason for the current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. For stability of the region, we want such situation to change”.
aw/ma
