After the Taliban took power for the second time in Afghanistan, a big change is being seen in their attitude, in order to correct the mistakes that were committed by the Taliban during their First Regime from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban leadership now wants to show their positive image to the entire world.
This is the reason why the current leadership of the Taliban said that they will neither support nor help any Outlawed Organization. But In Contrast, The 30th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, set up under UNSC Resolutions 1526 and 2253, issued on July 15, warned that “the Transnational Militant Organization Al-Qaeda and self-proclaimed Islamic State (Khorasan Province) and other banned organizations are seeing the Taliban’s victory as a motivational factor to spread their propaganda in neighboring regions of Central and South Asia and globally,
“The situation in Afghanistan remains complex,” the report noted, adding that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan view the Taliban`s military success as a “motivating factor” for propaganda in neighboring countries and other parts of the world.
Al-Qaeda
According to the United Nations report, Al-Qaeda fighters are allegedly present in the southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, and the possible movement of Al-Qaeda commanders to the west in Farah and Herat Provinces was also noted by the Security Member States, Al-Qaeda also reportedly plans to strengthen itself in Northern Afghanistan and to recruit new fighters and increase resources.
“Al Qaeda’s leadership allegedly plays a consultative role with the Taliban Government while Al-Qaeda’s Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri is also present in Afghanistan and is communicating freely.”
The report underscores that Al-Qaeda fighters are not an immediate international threat from their safe havens in Afghanistan because Al-Qaeda’s leadership currently lacks external operational capabilities and also does not currently wish to cause the Taliban international difficulty or embarrassment.
Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS)
According to the United Nations Report, the second largest global militant group in Afghanistan after Al-Qaeda is the self-proclaimed Islamic State-Province Khorasan. After the defeat of the Islamic State’s fighters by the Red Unit of the Taliban in the Battle of Darzab in 2018, ISIS started reinstating in late August 2021.
After the Proclamation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, more than 800 casualties were reported out of which 390+ were killed and 400+ sustained injuries in the major attacks by ISIS-K in Afghanistan.
The report further says ISIS views Afghanistan as a base for expansion in the wider region for the fulfillment of its “Great Islamic Caliphate” project, besides luring defected Taliban fighters and local ethnic minorities fighters, ISIS-K moreover, attracts the fighters by offering higher wages than other militant groups operating in Afghanistan.
Sanaullah Ghafari alias Shahab-al-Muhajir, an Afghan national, has been leading the IS-K Chapter since June 2020. However, ISIS-K has also set up a separate structure called the Al-Siddig Office under the leadership of Sheikh Tamim al-Kurdi alias Abu Ahmed al-Madani for pursuing the group`s regional agenda.
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
According to the United Nations report, the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, famously known as Pakistani Taliban, is the deadliest among all indigenous militant outfits and has a huge setup of around 3,000 to 4,000 fighters in Afghanistan.
The TTP was led by Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud a.k.a Abu Mansoor Asim since June 2018, Noor Wali Mehsud has united this group and allegedly the TTP is now more organized than before, the assembling of TTP fighters is a big threat to the region.
The TTP announced an indefinite ceasefire with Pakistan’s Government on June 2, 2022, after talks brokered by the Afghan Taliban Government in Kabul. On June 22, 2022, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said further negotiations with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will be held under the Constitution of Pakistan.
On July 15, 2022, the Mothers of five of the students and teachers assassinated in the 2014 APS attack moved to Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the ongoing negotiations between the Government and banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on which a bench consisting of Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Abdul Shakoor issued a notice to the interior secretary asking him to respond to the petition.
In addition, after the Fall of Kabul, TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud while declaring allegiance to the Taliban said his outfit came under the larger “umbrella” of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) but the Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in an interview with Arab News rejected Mehsud’s claim of affiliation with the Islamic Emirate by saying that “They (TTP) are not, as an organization, part of our Islamic Emirate and we don’t share the same objectives, we advise TTP to focus on peace and stability in their country”.
The Taliban leadership also assured to play a mediation role in the ceasefire between the Pakistani government and the TTP, which showed that the Afghan Taliban wanted to form an Organized Government which has no connection with any outlawed organization.
Turkistan Islamic Party
According to the UN report, the leadership of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is active in Baghlan province and has re-established its headquarters there, the group has reportedly re-established several strongholds in Badakhshan and It has also been said that relations between the Turkistan Islamic Party, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the banned Jamaat Ansarullah are now getting stronger.
The Taliban Government also claimed that they are removing the TIP from Badakhshan Province, as they sought aid from China which is possible only on one condition they removed the Uyghur Militants from the Afghan-China border.
