Taliban attacks in collusion with Pakistan-based LeT, other terror groups, claims Afghanistan

Afghanistan foreign minister Haneef Atmar said that actions by the Taliban have led to the killing of more than 3,000 people and displaced over 3,00,000.

New Delhi: For the first time, the Afghanistan government has publically named Pakistan-based terror groups supporting the Taliban amid the ongoing escalation of violence in the country. Afghan foreign minister Haneef Atmar on Tuesday (August 3, 2021) briefed foreign envoys based in Kabul on the situation in the country and how actions by the Taliban have led to the killing of more than 3,000 people and displacing over 3,00,000.

Atmar noted that the Taliban attacks were carried out in direct collusion with more than 10,000 regional terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ansarullah, Jundallah, al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a readout of Afghan foreign ministry said.

Atmar also pointed out the recent massacre of more than 100 people in Spin Boldak, forced marriages, destruction of more than 300 public infrastructures, and suspension of services in Taliban-controlled areas.

The statement comes amid Taliban mounting a massive offensive against the Afghan govt including Herat, Kandahar and Helmand.

While talking about the presence of foreign fighters along with the Taliban in the country, Atmar pointed out that due to the widespread crimes and human rights violations, currently 18 million people face a dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. 

Along with envoys of other countries, Indian Envoy to Kabul Rudrendra Tandon and UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons were also present.

During the meeting, Atmar also highlighted the Afghan government's security plans and regional and global diplomacy and said, "Afghan government's security plan would be charted out and implemented soon in coordination and support of all political and social strata to strengthen the government's positions in strategic points and metropolitans".

He explained that Kabul needs four areas of cooperation from the international community, which is, 'repelling Taliban's attacks on metropolitan areas, preventing a human catastrophe and human rights abuses, accelerating the Afghan Peace Process, and implementing a six-month security program.

This is to be noted that Zee Media had recently broken a story as to how the Afghanistan government has informed the Indian side that Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba is shifting its base inside the country.