The Taliban’s ongoing relationship with other terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, has become a highly contentious issue in the United States. Some American political figures have accused the Biden administration of resorting to deception to cover up its failures in Afghanistan. In the latest development, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. has stated that the Biden administration has attempted to downplay the Taliban’s terrorist ties to marginalize the legitimate use of military force under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) law, which allows the U.S. to militarily target groups and states supporting terrorism.
The committee’s chairman has labeled Biden’s claim regarding the Taliban’s commitment to fighting terrorism, based on the Doha Agreement, as an internal effort to gain power. Over the past two years, the Taliban have denied having any relations with terrorist groups. However, the supreme leader of this group has ordered that now is the time to serve the “colleagues of the Jihad era,” and the Taliban must extend a hand of friendship towards them.
The Taliban’s association with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations has sparked heated debates among U.S. lawmakers and diplomats, especially following the Taliban’s return to power. This time, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has announced that senior officials in the Biden administration have sought to diminish the significance of the Taliban’s terrorist ties. According to the committee’s statements, White House officials aim to exempt the Taliban from the AUMF law, which would grant the U.S. the authority to militarily target groups and states supporting terrorism.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives has issued a statement asserting that the Taliban has never severed its ties with Al-Qaeda, despite the U.S. government designating this group as a terrorist organization. The statement emphasizes that if the Taliban were genuinely combating terrorism, they would have confronted Al-Qaeda instead of supporting them.
The committee’s statement points out that officials in the Biden administration have consistently asserted that the Taliban are upholding their commitments under the Doha Agreement in the fight against terrorism. The committee emphasizes that the Taliban, in conjunction with their allies, such as Al-Qaeda, have actively been combating their mutual adversary, ISIS Khorasan (IS-K), as part of their internal power struggle. According to the statement, this conflict between the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan (IS-K) has persisted since 2014.
Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, has stated, “If the Taliban were genuinely committed to fighting terrorism, they should be actively working to defeat Al-Qaeda instead of sheltering and collaborating with them.”
He further expressed deep concerns that the Biden administration is attempting to conceal the facts from the American people to exempt the Taliban from the military law as part of its broader effort to normalize relations with the group. He emphasized, “I won’t stand by and allow them to do this.”
The Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives House Committee on Foreign Affairs maintains his stance that the Biden administration has forsaken American allies in Afghanistan, exposing them to danger with thousands of verified acts of violence against them. He additionally verified the deaths of some U.S. colleagues in Afghanistan and remarked, “Once again, the Biden administration is deceiving the American people about the destruction it has wrought in Afghanistan. This is shameful.”
Formerly, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that certain individuals within the U.S. ruling party manipulate information to depict the Taliban as a reliable partner.
However, Abdullah Khenjani, Deputy Minister of the State Ministry for Peace in the former Afghan government, asserts that the Taliban have, following the occupation of Afghanistan, expanded their relationships with all their security disruptor partners, including international terrorists. Mr. Khenjani relies on credible international reports, local observations, and common understanding to make this claim. He adds that currently, the entire Afghanistan serves as a corridor for the passage and movement of foreign terrorists, who benefit from the Taliban’s control of the country. According to him, another significant factor in strengthening global terrorism is the access of these global terrorists to economic resources, arms, and ammunition within the criminal economy framework that the Taliban have expanded in the country. He also emphasizes that an even more critical concern is the self-confidence and psychological security of international terrorists who, without any legal or human rights restrictions, live with their families in Afghanistan.
This comes as the Taliban continue to deny having any relationship or support for terrorist groups. However, the Taliban’s prime minister’s office has published statements attributed to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the absent supreme leader of the group, on its website. In one part of those statements, it is mentioned: “Now is the time for us to serve our colleagues from the era of jihad and show them support and respect.”
According to political analysts, this statement implies direct support from the Taliban for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups that have fought alongside the Taliban against the former security forces over the past two decades.
Lisa Sorush, a researcher at the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) in the United States, criticizes the Biden administration for its hasty and consequential mistake. She believes this blunder not only harmed America’s foreign policy but also prompted serious questions within the United States, questions that the Biden administration has failed to answer. Sorush is adamant that the Taliban will remain committed to their terrorist and extremist objectives, regardless of the situation.
This conflict resolution researcher further adds that the Taliban’s aim in serving their “colleagues from the era of jihad” includes terrorist groups that are not only present in Afghanistan but also in the entire region. She believes that the Taliban have strong relationships with and favor groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Jamaat Ansarullah of Tajikistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and other groups posing threats to Central Asia.
Earlier, the Hasht-e Subh Daily published an investigative report revealing that the Taliban have sustained their connections with Al-Qaeda and numerous other terrorist organizations in the region. Presently, a considerable number of jihadists, accompanied by their families, operate within the framework of this group in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, by signing the Doha Agreement with the United States, pledged to cut their connections with other terrorist groups, particularly Al-Qaeda. Nevertheless, the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of this network, in Kabul, has shown that their relationship is still intact.
These concerns arise as the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee had previously published a report stating that with the Taliban’s control, extremist groups in Afghanistan have gained more freedom, and terrorist threats in Afghanistan and the region are on the rise. According to this report, the number of Al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan ranges from 400 to 600. Furthermore, the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan has stated that the number of Al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan is around 500.
It’s important to mention that, along with the UN Security Council’s fourteenth report on the rise in terrorist activities and the complexity of ISIS operations in Afghanistan, some countries have also expressed concerns about Afghanistan becoming a sanctuary for terrorism. Previously, the Russian Foreign Minister asserted that northern Afghanistan had transformed into a terrorism hub.