The United Nations Security Council and other international organizations have uncovered in multiple reports over the past three years that the Taliban are hosting more than 20 terrorist groups in Afghanistan. Simultaneously, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and regional countries have expressed concern over terrorist activities in Afghanistan. Recently, the Taliban announced that Kyrgyzstan has removed them from its list of terrorist organizations. Some Russian-language media have reported that this move was facilitated by Qatar, and other Central Asian countries are also negotiating to remove the Taliban from their lists of terrorist groups. However, the United Nations Security Council has stated that Afghanistan remains a source of terrorist threats in the region and globally. Last week, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on employees of the former Attorney General’s Office, resulting in over 20 casualties.
Two days ago, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry announced that Kyrgyzstan had removed the group from its list of “terrorist organizations.” The Taliban praised Kyrgyzstan for this action and expressed hope that other countries will also remove obstacles to engagement with the group.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, stated on Thursday, September 5, 2024, that the removal of the name of the Taliban from the banned list by Kyrgyzstan is a commendable step and welcomed. He claimed that this move would remove barriers to interaction with the Taliban in other countries.
Similarly, Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the Taliban’s Prime Minister’s Office, claimed that several other countries are expected to accept political representatives of the group soon. He made this statement during a graduation ceremony for 300 specialists from the Directorate of Comprehensive Speciality Completion, asserting that the group’s relations with the region and beyond are expanding. While Kyrgyzstan does not officially recognize the Taliban, it has maintained trade relations with the group over the past three years, and recently, a trade delegation from Kyrgyzstan visited Kabul.
List of Banned Groups in Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry has not explicitly commented on the Taliban’s removal from its list of terrorist groups, but the General Prosecution of the Kyrgyz Republic published a list of terrorist organizations on September 2, 2024, which does not include the Taliban.
This body stated that these organizations have been designated as terrorists and extremists by Kyrgyz courts. The General Prosecution of the Kyrgyz Republic currently bans 20 terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, ISIS, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, the East Turkistan Liberation Organization, the Islamic Party of Turkistan (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan), and other similar groups.
However, the Russian-language media outlet “Vedomosti,” citing Kanatbek Midin Uulu, Deputy Director of the State Commission for Religious Affairs, reported that discussions are underway in other CSTO countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Armenia, regarding the removal of the Taliban from the list of banned terrorist organizations.
The media outlet also quoted Andrei Serniko, Head of the Center for Afghanistan Policy Studies in Kyrgyzstan, who stated that the removal of the Taliban from the banned list does not equate to official recognition of the group. According to Serniko, the removal from the banned lists in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan signals Qatar’s engagement with these countries as the main mediator.
Meanwhile, Russia and Kazakhstan have officially confirmed that they are negotiating the removal of the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups. In late May 2024, Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Justice presented a proposal to President Vladimir Putin to remove the Taliban from the terrorist list. In July 2024, following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin described the Taliban as “Russia’s allies in the fight against international terrorism.”
However, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, stated at a security meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, that 20 terrorist organizations with 23,000 militants are present in Afghanistan. He claimed that the West left behind a large amount of weaponry and timed bombs when withdrawing from Afghanistan.
In contrast, Imangali Tasmagambetov, Chairman of the CSTO, has repeatedly expressed concern about the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan. On Monday, June 3, 2024, at a parliamentary assembly meeting of the organization in Kazakhstan, he said, “Afghanistan remains the main center of instability, source of challenges, and transboundary threats in Central Asia, and continues to be a focal point for the organization.”
The CSTO Chairman also stated at a UN Security Council meeting that the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking originate from Afghanistan and have recently increased. He emphasized that terrorism, drug trafficking, and extremist ideology have taken on new forms in Afghanistan and continue to pose a serious threat to Central Asian countries.
The UN Security Council condemned the deadly ISIS attack in Kabul in a statement. It noted that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is one of the gravest threats to peace and security in Afghanistan and worldwide. The statement called on all countries to actively cooperate with relevant authorities under international law and Security Council resolutions.
In its fifteenth report to the Security Council, the UN Monitoring Team on Sanctions stated that under the Taliban’s rule, Afghanistan has become a haven for terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. The Security Council’s Sanctions Committee reported that “terrorist groups” still view Afghanistan as a secure location. According to this report, the Taliban maintain close relations with al-Qaeda, with the network participating in conflicts and providing financial support.
One section of the 26-page Security Council report states that al-Qaeda has resumed organizational activities and recruitment, establishing training centers and safe houses in five provinces, including Kabul and Nangarhar. The report also notes that some al-Qaeda members have come to Afghanistan from abroad. Additionally, the report emphasizes the Taliban’s continued support for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), labeling it as the “largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan.
The Sanctions Committee stated: “TTP continues its activities in Afghanistan on a significant scale and conducts terrorist operations within Pakistan, often with the assistance of Afghans. Member states described this as a major challenge for the Taliban, which, even if desired, cannot manage it. The Taliban do not consider TTP a terrorist group and maintain close relations, feeling indebted to TTP.”
Furthermore, the UN Monitoring Team’s report listed 61 Taliban officials who are subject to global sanctions. According to the report, 35 of these individuals are members of the Taliban’s cabinet and leadership.
Previously, the Hasht-e Subh Daily obtained information indicating that the Taliban are constructing a well-equipped base with residential houses for al-Qaeda in the Ghazni province, and three settlements for TTP in the Dasht-e Bagh-e Attar area of Qarabagh district, Dasht-e Kabuli district, and Kotal-e Rouza in the outskirts of Ghazni city, with modern facilities and equipment. The report also found that Haji Farqan (Uyghur), a commander of the Eastern Turkistan Movement and a senior al-Qaeda member, is staying at a guesthouse of Sirajuddin Haqqani in the Sherpur area of Kabul.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
