Taliban has pushed back against recent statements made by Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, saying that the risks Durrani attributed to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan actually emanate from Pakistan.
Durrani, speaking at a meeting in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned of the potential for another 9/11-style attack originating from Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
In response, Taliban deputy spokesman for the foreign ministry, Zia Ahmad Takal, accused Durrani of trying to “mislead public opinion.”
Takal also claimed that the Taliban had “completely suppressed” the Islamic State, known locally as Daesh.
Durrani also remarked that Afghanistan has fallen out of the global spotlight, attributing this shift to the world’s focus on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Takal’s comments come as the Afghanistan Security Monitor reported that Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) had carried out 62 attacks across Afghanistan last year, resulting in at least 857 deaths and 1,575 injuries.
The most recent attack claimed by ISIS-K occurred on August 21 in western Kabul, where an explosion killed and injured more than a dozen people. The group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, stating it had targeted the Hazara community.
Independent sources confirmed that a 70-year-old man was killed and 13 others were injured in the blast, including four women and a 13-year-old child. The Taliban, however, reported a lower toll, acknowledging only one death and 11 injuries.
Takal also reiterated that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is an internal issue for Pakistan, requiring a solution from within the country.
This comes as a UN monitoring group in a report in July said that TTP has almost 6,000 fighters in Afghanistan.
