The Taliban's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has accused three neighboring countries of supporting ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) attacks in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.
Afghanistan International says Muttaqi claimed this during the opening ceremony of the Afghan-Kazakh exhibition on April 25. He reportedly said that one country is providing human resources to ISIS, another is offering training programs, and a third is facilitating ISIS' attacks.
Although Muttaqi did not specify the countries by name, sources within the Taliban informed Afghanistan International that the allegations were directed at Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
These sources reportedly allege that Tajikistan is supplying human resources, Pakistan is responsible for training ISIS members, and Iran is involved in logistical support for ISIS.
Muttaqi further stated that Taliban’s investigations have revealed that eight out of every ten security incidents are orchestrated from outside Afghanistan. He emphasized that if these countries effectively managed their responsibilities, Afghanistan would not face security challenges.
Meanwhile, the Voice of America (VOA) reported on April 24 that Pakistan and Iran have pledged they would increase joint efforts against Afghanistan’s terrorism threat and urged Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban government to involve all Afghans in “basic decision-making.”
According to VOA, the two neighboring countries, which share long, porous borders with Afghanistan, made the promise in a joint statement released at the culmination of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s three-day visit to Pakistan.
Both Tehran and Islamabad reportedly complain that transnational militant groups have increased cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghan sanctuaries since the Taliban reclaimed power in Kabul in 2021.
Islamabad says militants tied to the globally designated terrorist outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are being sheltered on Afghan soil and even facilitated by the Taliban administration to conduct deadly cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Iranian authorities have blamed an Afghan-based regional Islamic State affiliate known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) for recent high-profile terrorist attacks inside Iran.
In their joint statement, Pakistan and Iran again emphasized the need for the Taliban to rule their crisis-hit nation through a politically inclusive government.
