Taliban letting down al-Qaeda to please US
The Taliban and al-Qaeda cooperated for over 30 years in Afghanistan.
During those
years, the Taliban offered refuge to al-Qaeda's fighters and commanders at a
time they were renounced everywhere around the world.
A spokesman
for the Taliban said recently that his movement would not tolerate the presence
of camps for the recruitment of al-Qaeda elements in Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda is
active in at least 15 Afghan provinces, according to CIA.
It said the
organization is mainly stationed in the eastern and southern regions of
Afghanistan and along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
CIA said
that al-Qaeda's strength waned remarkably since late 2020.
It noted
that the organization remains a focal point of inspiration for a global network
of affiliated groups and organizations.
False
reports
Taliban
Spokesman, Muhammed Suhail Shaheen, said his movement had pledged in Doha that it
would not allow the existence of any fundraising, training or recruitment
centers for al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
"We
will never allow the use of Afghan territories against any other country,"
he said.
Shaheen
added that reports about al-Qaeda's activities in Afghanistan do not reflect
realities on the ground.
He claimed
that some countries provide unreal information about the numbers of al-Qaeda
members in Afghanistan to the United Nations Security Council.
The Taliban,
he said, would enforce the law and bring order back to Afghanistan.
On August
22, Mohammed Naim, a spokesman for the Taliban's politburo, said al-Qaeda had
no presence in Afghanistan.
He denied
the presence of relations between his movement and the terrorist organization
after the takeover of Afghanistan.
"Al-Qaeda
does not exist in Afghanistan," Naim said.
"We
have no relation with it whatsoever," he added.
Naim noted
that the Taliban's agreement with the US in Doha stipulated that no extremist
party would be allowed to use Afghan territories against other countries.
He noted
that his movement would not allow any individual or group to enter Afghanistan
to launch terrorist activities.
