A former adviser to the United States National Security Council, John Bolton stated that everyone in the world has to be concerned about the rising influx of foreign terrorists into Afghanistan. He even warned that Afghanistan and the rest of the globe are in ‘grave danger’ due to the rapid rise of ISIS and the Al-Qaeda network in the nation. According to the Khaama Press report, Bolton stated during the VOA interview that the increasing number of foreign terrorists entering Afghanistan should alarm everyone and noted that ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorist groups are reorganising there.
The former diplomat also criticised the Taliban for their connections to global terrorist organisations. He emphasised how the Taliban has disregarded the requirements of the Doha Agreement to combat terrorism ever since seizing control of Kabul in August of last year.
During the interview, Bolton said, “The Taliban have proven once again that their words are not worth the paper they are printed on. They have created a worldwide danger, not only in Afghanistan”.
In the context of the US drone operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, former top official Bolton said that the Taliban had failed to uphold its obligations under the Doha Agreement, particularly given Zawahiri’s continued presence in Afghanistan, according to the Khaama Press report.
General Mark Milley expressed worries over the reorganisation of terrorist groups in Afghanistan
Besides Bolton, earlier in the month of May, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, asserted that the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups are trying to reorganise in Afghanistan. Milley expressed his worries by stating, “ISIS and other groups are trying to put themselves back together.” He further added, “They have not succeeded yet and they have not yet presented a threat to the US homeland but we are watching that very, very, closely and if they raise their head and do present a threat, we will take appropriate (action)”, Tolo News reported.
It is important to note that on August 31, 2021, US forces left Afghanistan, putting an end to over 20 years of US operations there. Thousands of Afghan people tried to flee the war-torn nation when the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, and chaos and uncertainty ruled the Kabul airport.
In addition to this, the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) has been able to extend its territory to almost all of Afghanistan’s provinces in the months since the Taliban assumed power at the federal level. According to the Washington Post, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan made this statement in November.
According to an ANI report, ISIS-K has also accelerated the pace of its attacks, conducting ambushes, killings, and suicide bombings. Notably, in 2015, ISIS-K first operated in Afghanistan. Furthermore, it attracted some recruits from the Taliban and other extremist organisations, but its original members were mostly made up of Pakistani terrorists and were centred primarily in the eastern Afghan province of Nangahar.