Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban, stated during a recent visit to Iran that under Taliban rule over the past 18 months, all Daesh strongholds in Afghanistan have been dismantled. He asserted there is currently no “conflict” in Afghanistan.
Muttaqi’s comments, made last week in Iran, were published Monday by the Taliban-run foreign ministry. “Not one village, one acre, one meter of land is in the hands of the opposition,” he said, adding that no war incidents have occurred recently in Afghanistan.
Contrary to Muttaqi’s statements, United Nations reports from November 2022 to November 2023 indicate that the Khorasan branch of ISIS conducted 40 attacks in Afghanistan. Additionally, groups opposing the Taliban, including the Afghanistan Liberation Front, the National Resistance Front, and the Afghanistan Freedom Movement, carried out 65 attacks against the Taliban during the same period.
The international community has criticized the Taliban for lacking an inclusive government. Presently, their government structure includes no women, Hazaras, or minority representatives as ministers or governors. However, Muttaqi claimed their cabinet includes representatives from every Afghan tribe up to the ministerial and gubernatorial levels.
Despite these assertions, some Taliban officials deny ISIS’s presence in Afghanistan. A United Nations report notes that three Taliban officials, including Daud Mozmal, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, and Safiullah Samim, have been killed by ISIS.
University professor Akmal Baqa commented, “The Taliban aim to seduce Afghanistan’s people, neighboring countries, and the world, seeking legitimacy for their oppressive rule with these falsehoods.”
Taliban authorities have denied Daesh presence, while according to the United Nations report, three former and current Taliban officials, including Daud Mozmal, their governor for Balkh, were killed in attacks claime dby ISIS.
