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In an article, the Afghan Taliban regime criticized the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Committee for relying on information received from member countries that alleges the presence of Al-Qaeda and other jihadi terror groups in Afghanistan. It argues that the Committee's reports are aimed at undermining the Taliban while the threat from the Islamic State (ISIS) increases.
It says that the U.S., Pakistan, and Tajikistan are collaborating to establish training centers for ISIS fighters in Pakistan's Balochistan province to deploy them along the border with China in order to undermine Afghan-China ties and weaken the Taliban.
The article is titled "Sanctions Monitoring Committee On Afghanistan Or A Tool For Deceiving Regional Countries?" It is published by Al-Mirsad, a multi-lingual media outlet associated with the General Director of Intelligence (GDI), the Afghan Taliban intelligence.
Following are excerpts from the article:
"Pakistan And Tajikistan... Persistently Provide Inaccurate Information Regarding The Presence Of Al-Qaeda And Other Groups, As Well As The Existence Of Their Facilities In Afghanistan, To This Team"
"The United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Committee consistently releases reports on the presence and growth of activities of Al-Qaeda and other groups in Afghanistan. The method for collecting information by this team involves members traveling to different countries and incorporating the information they gather into the outdated framework of reports prepared from the early years of sanctions.
"Rather than adhering to factual reporting, this team is currently being manipulated by certain countries for their own agendas, providing it with fabricated and inaccurate information in order to further their specific political and psychological objectives against other nations and communities.
"Pakistan and Tajikistan, two neighboring countries of Afghanistan, persistently provide inaccurate information regarding the presence of Al-Qaeda and other groups, as well as the existence of their facilities in Afghanistan, to this team. Subsequently, the team disseminates and publishes this misinformation. It is possible that this committee has received approval for such actions from other influential entities. Nevertheless, these entities lack credibility in these reports.
"The query remains: what are the motives behind this propaganda campaign?
"According to Al-Mersaad, based on its sources, it has been informed that a central aspect of the strategic cooperation agreement between Pakistan and Tajikistan involves establishing new ISIS project centers in northwestern Pakistan – specifically, in Gilgit, Baltistan, and Chitral. The purpose of these centers is to facilitate infiltration into northeastern Afghanistan.
"They have raised various concerns for China, Central Asian countries, and Russia, and are exploiting this new game to their advantage in regional pressure games and to the benefit of the West in international games. Their strategy includes obstructing the establishment of the Wakhan economic corridor linking China and Afghanistan and impeding positive official interactions with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."
"To Counter This Threat, China, Russia, And Central Asian Countries Must Unite Against This Perilous Scheme, Acknowledging Balochistan As The HQ Of ISIS’s Khurasan Branch, Gilgit Baltistan As A Congregation Point For ISIS Forces"
"Ongoing contacts with fleeing officials from the former Republic [the pre-Taliban Afghan government], the construction of a new airport in Gilgit Baltistan, [U.S.-Pakistan joint] military drills under the guise of counter-terror operations, visits by Pakistani intelligence and military officials to the West, enhanced cooperation between the West and Tajikistan, the strategic partnership agreement between Pakistan and Tajikistan, and alerts of impending attacks in Afghanistan are all efforts pursued for this purpose.
"Al-Mersaad, citing its reliable security sources, has received reports that a considerable number of Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Turks, and individuals from Central Asia and other nations are undergoing training in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan, and new cells for carrying out attacks in various regional countries have been established and are operational.
"To redirect the focus of regional nations from their primary security concerns, they exploit the Sanctions Monitoring Committee as a tool. They issue misleading and unfounded reports about the presence of Al-Qaeda centers and activities in Afghanistan through this committee, with the objective of attaining a range of aims in regional and international arenas, some of which were previously mentioned.
"To counter this threat, China, Russia, and Central Asian countries must unite against this perilous scheme, acknowledging Balochistan as the HQ of ISIS’s Khurasan branch, Gilgit Baltistan as a congregation point for ISIS forces, and Tajikistan as newly established centers for financial backing and recruitment. Failure to recognize these realities may result in severe repercussions at the hands of those behind the ISIS project.
"The reality remains that Al-Qaeda does not operate in Afghanistan, nor does it maintain any centers there. There are no foreign nationals engaged in Afghan government roles, and Afghanistan has not carried out any attacks in foreign territories over the past 23 years. In today's technologically advanced world, concealing such information is impractical. Therefore, disseminating such erroneous reports only serves to compromise the credibility and standing of the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team."
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