Speaking at a seminar at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, West said that since early 2023, “Taliban raids in Afghanistan have removed at least eight key ISKP leaders.”
“The group that we worry most about is the Islamic State branch in Afghanistan, ISKP. I think it’s notable that since early 2023, Taliban raids in Afghanistan have removed at least eight key ISKP leaders, some responsible for external plotting. They have a very aggressive, violent, offensive ongoing that has significantly degraded ISKP capability. I don’t want to overstate the case, as I said, we worry about this group that clearly harbors and intends to conduct external operations, but the Taliban offensive has been successful and significantly degraded their capabilities,” the US envoy said.
West said the current Afghan government’s fight against Daesh is important, but noted that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, TTP, “is posing the greatest threat” to regional stability.” “We see a very significant increase in (TTP) attacks directed at Pakistan,” West said.
The US special envoy said that a very high priority should be placed on the initiation of a dialogue among Afghans.
“We need to place a very high priority on the initiation of a dialogue among Afghans, and as I said, Afghans are organizing themselves of their own volition and without foreign interference. We hope that process will eventually lead to fundamentally more representative systems. It is not for the US to prescribe a formula on what a system would look like, but I think if Afghans took those steps including the Taliban it could very well lead to a much better relationship with the international community, including with the US,” Thomas West said.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate once again pledged that Afghanistan territory will not be used against other countries.
“Destructive groups or elements do not exist in the territory of Afghanistan, nor is there a threat from the territory of Afghanistan against other countries. The groups they mention are in other countries,” said Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.Referring to the withdrawal of the foreign forces from Afghanistan, West said that it is necessary for all countries that were involved in Afghanistan to review what they did wrong or right.—Tolonews
