Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, based in Brussels. In return the United States will begin the withdrawal of its troops. Baryal is among those listed in a recent United Nations report as one of the Talibans leaders "affiliated" with al-Qaida. After 2001, it began getting help from both al-Qaida and the Taliban, and it has been consistently active in Afghanistan since 2007. The Taliban Are Back. It did not say if any agreements were reached. Hezb-e-Islami, or "Party of Islam," was founded in 1976 by former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The Pakistani Taliban have loose relations with the Afghan group, but they are committed to overthrowing the Pakistani state and have had havens along the border. The Taliban have all the cards in their hand to exploit the concerns of these regional players about the threat of terrorism spilling over from Afghanistan. According to Taliban officials in Qatar, the Taliban was not entertaining peace negotiations at this time. Another top priority would be to hold the Taliban to their commitment not to allow Afghanistan to again become a hotbed for al Qaeda or other extremists. Nathan Sales, former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, argues that the terrorism risk to the United States is going to get dramatically worse. With the Taliban back in power, he said, it is virtually certain that Al Qaeda will reestablish a safe haven in Afghanistan and use it to plot terrorism against the United States and others., Other experts are less sure. However, there was an immediate issue, as the Taliban flag was raised and a plaque at the entrance identified it as an office of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" (the Taliban-era name for the country). Nov. 3, 2021 JALALABAD, Afghanistan Aref Mohammad's war against the Islamic State ended earlier this fall when his unit of Taliban fighters was ambushed by the terrorist group in eastern. Since its initial statement at the end of August congratulating the Taliban on its victory, al-Qaida leadership has been mostly silent on the situation in Afghanistan, though al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri referenced "the defeat of the Americans" in a video released this month. and Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar . The Taliban's record on women's rights says otherwise. LeT established an office in Quetta, Pakistan, in 2006 to assist the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the group has also reportedly sent fighters to Afghanistan to assist the Taliban in their efforts. Pakistan President Arif Alvi said in an interviewthe Afghan Taliban have conveyed to Pakistan that they would allow the TTP to live in Afghanistan provided that the TTP cease its terrorist activity against Pakistan. 10 Oct 2021 Delegates from the Taliban and the United States have held "candid and professional" talks in the Qatari capital, according to a US official, with the two-day discussions focusing on. He notes that American intelligence capabilities in Afghanistan will be degraded with no military or diplomatic presence on the ground and with American troops and drones based hundreds of miles away. [21][22][23] Then House Speaker John Boehner issued a statement claiming that, "The Obama Administration put countless American troops and civilians at risk when it chose to ignore the law and unilaterally release five senior Taliban terrorists from Guantanamo Bay," later claiming, "Now these five will be free to travel." The banned outfit has been involved in targeting Pakistan security forces, Chinese nationals and Chinese projects in Pakistan. Copyright 2023 Afghan expatriates living in Qatar, upset over memories of beatings and imprisonment from the Taliban, bristled at the privileges Taliban leaders were allowed, and that they did not have to work hard. IMU launched its first attack in February 1999 by simultaneously detonating five car bombs in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital. Hezb-e-Islami was known to target U.S. forces in Afghanistan, carrying out a series of attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in from 2013-15. The Taliban will have to deal with remnants of Al Qaeda and Islamic State already present in Afghanistan, Mr. Sawers said. The U.S. was amenable to the decision to make Qatar the home for peace negotiations. Therefore, it is difficult to separate them. If the Taliban could be a security guarantor for the so-called superpower, then why not for other countries? The group is led by Dilshod Dekhanov, a Tajik national. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Doha, not Kabul, to be EU base for personnel BRUSSELS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The European Union will focus on humanitarian aid as it figures out how to deal with the Taliban, aiming on an. Their homes were paid for by the Qataris. Who keeps you all in check?, Ayshia responds with a playful smile: No one, we are all leaders., Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. IJG's fighters operate across Badakhshan, Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, fought alongside Taliban forces against the previous government, and even got some financial support from the Taliban over the past year. Taliban and ISK fighters have clashed frequently, and the Taliban played a critical role in defeating ISK strongholds in rural Afghanistan, coordinating informally at times with U.S. forces . Diplomats at the Finnish embassy were reportedly evacuated to Qatar on Monday after the Taliban declared control over Kabul. (Stringer/Reuters) Article A high-level U.S. delegation, headed by the deputy director of the CIA, held the Biden administration's first direct talks since the military withdrawal with senior. In addition to the group's close ties with the Taliban and al-Qaida, it has been reported to collaborate with other groups in Afghanistan including TTP and Jamaat Ansarullah, an ethnically Tajik faction of the IMU. [6][7] Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the office, and many of the other office staff returned to Afghanistan to discuss formation of a new government. U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the Pakistani military have killed or captured several TTP leaders over the past two decades. With the patronage of the Taliban, Al-Qaida members have received appointments and advisory roles in the Taliban security and administrative structures, the U.N. Security Councils Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said in the report earlier in June. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan-al-qaeda.html. As of mid-2021, intelligence suggested IMU had broken into Uzbek and Tajik factions, with the Uzbek faction possibly entertaining the idea of joining IS. Her husband was a dentist. They are scared of us because we are the generation that grew up in the 21st century, Grace said. But he believes that the likelihood that the Taliban will quickly provide a safe haven for groups like Al Qaeda and Islamic State is small. Besides Baryal, Nuristan Governor Hafiz Muhammad Agha Hakeem and Tajmir Jawad, the Talibans deputy director of intelligence, are also listed in the report. In the Doha meeting, the US would prioritize "holding the Taliban to its commitment not to allow terrorists to use Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States or its allies," the. This abrupt troop evacuation, coupled with the Afghan government's unsuccessful ceasefire and the 2020 Doha Agreement, has empowered the Taliban to exploit a weakened Afghan state. The US State Department said Sunday that this weekend's talks with representatives of the Taliban in Doha, Qatar - the first such gathering since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end . [12] On 31 July 2017, hacked emails of the UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, revealed that the UAE, a member of the quartet, had lobbied the US to appoint the Taliban office in Abu Dhabi. Others, like Mr. "We are committed to the fact that from Afghanistan, there will not be any danger to any country.". During a visit by a Taliban delegation to China in August, Islamabad and Beijing conveyed a clear message that the Afghan Taliban should completely breaktheir ties with TTP and ETIM. The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago in response to terrorism, and many worry that Al Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups will again find safe haven there. While the US State Department continues to engage in high-level diplomatic talks with the Taliban in the neutral setting of Doha, Qatar, as it has for the past year, the real negotiations have . Exclusive: US, Dutch set to hit China's chipmakers with one-two punch, Greece migrant tragedy: coastguard rope capsized boat, survivor accounts say, Pakistan clinches last-gasp $3 billion IMF bailout, North Korea: "No intention to examine" Hyundai chief's bid to visit, Jeremy Clarkson column on Meghan was sexist, UK press regulator rules, Israel no closer to attack on Iran nuclear sites, official says, Analysis: French police, long unreformed, under scrutiny after teenager shooting, Venezuela bars leading opposition candidate Machado from holding office, State Department review of 2021 Afghanistan evacuation critical of Biden, Trump. [29][30], In December 2015, rumors began to spread that the Taliban 5 had recommenced their "threatening activities" after being released to Qatar. According to a U.S. intelligence committee and a U.S. House report, "Despite the current restrictions of the MOU, it is clear that the five former detainees have participated in activities that threaten U.S. and coalition personnel and are counter to U.S. national security interests not unlike their activities before they were detained on the battlefield. @StevenErlanger, A version of this article appears in print on. The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute. Similar accords seeking security promises from the Taliban are now expected from other countries in the region. As our team leaves, we jokingly ask: So whos the mother hen of the house? Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement/Turkistan Islamic Party. A chance for the US to change its tune on justice, Opportunity lost: Australias Antarctic aerodrome cancelled, The Kremlin may be tiring of the impasse in eastern Ukraine, Aid links: Ebola strikes, donations drop, and Gates debates, PNGs trade ties with China are set to strengthen. NPR's . As part of a US-led and managed process, Qatar is temporarily accommodating 6,000 Afghans in its Al Udeid and As Sayliyah military bases until the US can resettle them. In terms of crime rates, Qatar routinely has the lowest rates of violent crimes when compared to other Middle Eastern countries. She asked to be identified as Mariam to conceal her identity. The same intelligence estimates say that the group, which lost all the territory under its control in early 2020, now "controls limited territory in eastern Afghanistan" and that it is "capable of conducting high-profile and complex attacks.". The original purpose for being there was to open an office that would facilitate political reconciliation between the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan, the United States and other countries. They will have withdrawn all their troops in 14 months. A lot of groups will piggyback on this victory in propaganda terms if the Taliban can do it, you can do it.. And even if the Taliban are planning to crack down on cells of IS-Khorasan, Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, they may not have the right capabilities. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. [1] Taliban leaders remained in Doha with accommodation from the Qatari government,[2] on the condition that the office cannot be used for public dealings. [35], As of January 2019 in the ongoing Afghan peace talks, the Taliban have asked for international recognition of their Doha office. The foreign ministry in Kabul said the two-day meeting went well. In 2015, Hekmatyar ordered his followers to help IS fighters in Afghanistan but never pledged allegiance to IS. Rahmatullah Andar, the former spokesman for Afghanistans National Security Council, told VOA that the Taliban groups in the districts have been hosting al-Qaida members for more than 20 years. The Taliban do not want to lose the TTP and ETIM cards; hence, they smartly conveyed to Islamabad that they would allow theTTP to live in Afghanistan, instead of breaking relations with the group. There was also concern over the fact that there were no plans to keep the Taliban leaders from being able to travel abroad. The group shares much of the same ideology as the Taliban, and its fighter have assisted in Taliban in the past. Joint Statement on Trilateral Meeting on Afghan Peace Process. [11], The details of the Taliban 5 negotiations were kept from the U.S. senators on Capitol Hill and many politicians registered statements of outrage over the decisions being made by the Obama administration. Others, especially in Washington, believe that the Taliban is almost certain to repeat its encouragement of Islamist terrorist groups and think that the chances of another attack on the United States and its allies are much higher now. Bowe Bergdahl, held prisoner by the Taliban since 2009. "[32], On 5 June 2017, a quartet composed of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. In the accord that former President Trump negotiated with the Taliban in February 2020, the group agreed to not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.. lift a ban on Afghan central bank reserves. The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has reportedly reenergized the TTP, and Pakistani officials have sought the Afghan Taliban's assistance in dealing with the group. They have support from the Taliban, who are in full control of the country, he said. (EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the . Now they are doing the same thing but not showing the world.. They have safe haven. Al Jazeera's Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Doha, on Tuesday said the talks started with the participation of envoys and diplomats from the US, the UK, the EU, the UN, China, Pakistan and. The Islamic State terror group's Afghan affiliate is a sworn enemy of both the Taliban and al-Qaida, which has deep and long-standing ties to Taliban leadership. For India, the Taliban have the jihadist card. As Mariams family watched province after province fall to the Taliban, their fear grew. The Taliban said it is currently holding discussions in Qatar over Afghanistan's future government, along with other Afghan political parties, an official from the insurgent group told TOLOnews on Monday.. [8] Suhail Shaheen, one of the spokesmen, remained in Qatar with a few others. EU Welcomes Results of Afghan Peace Talks in Doha, U.S. envoy to meet with Russian, Chinese, EU officials to discuss Afghan peace process. Afghanistan's current Taliban-dominated regime jeopardizes women's . More recent assessments by U.S. military intelligence officials indicate that the group is more focused at the moment on cementing its support within Afghanistan itself and that IS-Khorasan may not be ready to carry out external operations for another 12-18 months. US left to depend on the Taliban for a safe exit from Afghanistan defeat Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN Updated 12:32 AM EDT, Wed August 18, 2021 . Everything that we did in the whole 20 years [of our lives] just passed like a second right in front of our eyes.. For more than 15 years, Qari Baryal has been on a special list of Washingtons most-wanted Taliban and al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan, accused of carrying out bombing and suicide attacks across the country. All of our rights are gone.. Afghan President Meets Minister of Foreign Affairs' Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Disputes' Settlements. Now Will They Restrain or Support Al Qaeda? So all these countries have a history and will worry that it will repeat itself, Mr. Pantucci said. The Taliban have changed, but they are not better, she said. But the Taliban will have learned some lessons in the last 20 years, said Mr. Sawers, executive chairman of Newbridge Advisory, a risk-analysis firm. By 2014, Qatar had begun negotiations between the Taliban and the U.S. government to broker a deal for the five Taliban leaders held in Guantanamo Bay. The latest U.N. intelligence estimates put the number of TTP fighters at between 3,000 and 5,500. The European Union and Afghanistan Prospects for Peace. The group's second-in-command, Amsattor Atabaev, hails from Tajikistan. AQIS fighters, including native Afghans and fighters from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Myanmar (Burma), are said to have fought alongside Taliban against the U.S.-backed government prior to its collapse. The more than 40-year-old Haqqani has a $10 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government and works as a deputy emir of the Taliban as well as the interior minister of Afghanistan. According . See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The groups victory is likely to embolden Islamist radicals worldwide, one analyst said. . [38] Washington special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad claimed that Baradar was released at the request of the United States. Here's what we know: The day after the Afghan president fled and the Taliban installed themselves in the presidential palace, uncertainty reigned. Who is who in the Taliban Political Office? "Some of its [al-Qaida's] closest sympathizers within the Taliban now occupy senior positions in the new de facto Afghan administration," according to the U.N. report, which also says chances are now good that Zawahiri's likely successor, Saif al-Adel, will seek to leave Iran and establish himself in Afghanistan. I would also say, senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability.. Mariam had the necessary documentation and knew their names were on an evacuation list but had to plead with Taliban fighters near the airport to let them through to get on a flight to Doha. According to a recent UN study, the Taliban continues to maintain strong and symbiotic ties with the banned armed groups, including Al-Qaeda, despite its adherence to the Doha accord. He showed Al Jazeera pictures on his phone of his patients, dramatic before and after shots of smiles. Intelligence estimates from U.N. member states say AQIS has up to 400 fighters in Afghanistan, spread across Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika and Zabul provinces. Taliban Flouts Terrorism Commitments by Appointing al-Qaida-Affiliated Governors, Afghanistan, with the capital city of Kabul. Sales, the former U.S. coordinator for counterterrorism, are sure that the Taliban will allow Al Qaeda to operate again against the United States. These are early days and experts disagree on how the Taliban may choose to govern, and on how big a threat they might become or how quickly even as the Taliban try to persuade the world they are different than before. But that agreement now seems to have little value, and many doubted at the time that the Taliban would or could keep its promises on that score. The U.S. officials said the weekend meeting was a continuation of "pragmatic engagements" with the Taliban and "not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy" to the group. The Taliban's political office was unofficially established in Doha in January 2012,[15] with the arrival of representatives including Tayyab Agha, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai and Shahabuddin Delawar, who were said to be "well-educated, fluent in English and considered moderate, but committed to the movement", plus spokesperson Suhail Shaheen.
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