Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, has stated that the Taliban have never severed their ties with Al-Qaeda and are currently fighting against “ISIS-K as part of an internal struggle for power.”
In a press release issued on Monday, October 2nd, the Committee reported McCaul’s remarks: “If the Taliban were truly upholding their counterterrorism obligations, they would work to defeat Al-Qaeda instead of paying, protecting, and employing them.”
McCaul emphasized that the Taliban’s war against the ISIS-K does not adhere to the Doha Agreement but rather serves the purpose of preserving their internal authority.
He noted, “In reality, the Taliban is working with their allies, Al-Qaeda, to defeat their shared enemy, ISIS-K, as part of an internal struggle for power that has been ongoing since 2014. The Taliban have never severed ties with Al-Qaeda, an internationally recognized terrorist organization that is also designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States government.”
According to him, the Biden administration has attempted “to downplay the Taliban’s terrorist activity.”
This comes after President Joe Biden stated in a recent press conference that they had suppressed Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan with the help of the Taliban.
He added, “Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said Al-Qaeda is not there. I said we will get help from the Taliban. I was right.”
The Taliban welcomed Biden’s statements and called for positive engagement with the United States.
Earlier, the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Committee had also stated in its latest report that the Taliban have deepened their relationship with the Al-Qaeda network and Tahrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
