IEA facing increasing challenges to their rule: SIGAR

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has said the Islamic Emirate is facing increasing challenges to its authority primarily from Daesh and various resistance groups.

In its quarterly report, the US watchdog said the UNSC in February 2023 warned that Afghanistan remained the primary source of terrorist threat for central and south Asia, with several terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and IS-K enjoying “a greater freedom of movement” in Afghanistan owing to the absence of an effective Taliban security strategy.

However, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the SIGAR report as propaganda, saying the Afghans lived in complete peace and no one was allowed to use Afghanistan’s soil against others.

The SIGAR report claimed Daesh continued its campaign against the Islamic Emirate and remained the most serious threat to the Taliban’s rule, with an estimated strength of between 1000 and 3000 fighters.

The report said the Islamic Emirate’s takeover reportedly emboldened the TTP and its affiliated groups to step up attacks against Pakistan while using Afghanistan a base of operation.

The SIGAR report said the presence of Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was killed in a US drone attack in July 2022 in Kabul, shows some Taliban members continue to maintain a relationship with Al Qaeda.

However, the caretaker government of Afghanistan had said it found no evidence to show that Ayman al-Zawahiri was attacked and killed in the drone strike.

SIGAR said that the United States besides monitoring Al Qaeda activities continues to press the caretaker government of Afghanistan to remain committed to the Doha Agreement.

The report also claimed that former Afghan national and defense forces personnel and government officials continued to be targeted by Taliban members despite the general amnesty.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid said SIGAR was created to control, calculate and investigate American spending in Afghanistan during the American occupation and now it had taken up the task to propagate against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

“We strongly reject this kind propaganda by SIGAR, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has full control over the situation and will not allow any group to destabilize Afghanistan or use the territory of Afghanistan against others.”

He said no foreign armed group was active in Afghanistan and Daesh had been suppressed and was on the verge of destruction.

Mujahid asked the Americans to end their hatred and enmity with Afghans, saying Afghanistan posed no threat to anyone and wanted good constructive relations with the world including the US.

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