ISLAMABAD: The Taliban maintain relations with more than 20 terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, providing varying levels of support to some of the organizations, a senior UN official said.
Colin Smith, coordinator of the UN Security Council's ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Team, made the disclosure in an interview with Afghanistan International.
He said that at least 20 terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, with the Taliban hosting multiple such organizations and maintaining relations with them.
The interim Taliban authorities provide varying degrees of support to these groups, Smith revealed. He said that the Taliban's intelligence apparatus maintains relationships with them.
“Several members of the UN Security Council have expressed concern over Taliban support for terrorist groups,” he said.
The UN official said the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) receives active support and cooperation from the Afghan Taliban. He revealed that cross-border attacks by the TTP from Afghanistan into Pakistan have increased, posing a serious concern for Pakistan and the wider region.
“Evidence of strong ties between the Taliban and the TTP needs to be taken seriously,” Smith said.
The UN official said that Al-Qaeda also retains a presence in Afghanistan. The group has openly supported the Afghan Taliban in their confrontation with Pakistan, and has also backed the TTP's terrorist activities against Pakistan.
UN reports have repeatedly highlighted links between Al-Qaeda and the TTP, according to Smith. Al-Qaeda trainers have even provided instruction to TTP members to strengthen their capabilities.
Meanwhile, Daesh’s Khorasan faction is the most active terrorist group in Afghanistan, with around 2,000 fighters in the country, Smith reported. The group retains the capability to carry out major attacks from Afghan soil.
He said that numerous terrorist plots and attacks in Europe have been linked to the broader Daesh-Khorasan faction threat emanating from Afghanistan. The UN official cited attacks the group has carried out in Iran, Moscow and several European countries.
Colin Smith revealed that the Daesh-Khorasan chapter has also established a cryptocurrency-based funding network. The US Treasury Department reported that the group received more than $1.4 million through various crypto wallets. Smith said the Daesh-Khorasan faction poses a threat to regional and international security.
Smith added that the activities of terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan remain a major concern for the UN Security Council.