UN: Al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan persists
A UN sanctions monitoring team said in a report dated August 10 that Al-Qaeda’s position and capabilities in Afghanistan have remained unchanged under Taliban rule. The terrorist threat emanating from the country has also generally remained unchanged, while the ability of numerous groups to operate poses a lasting danger to neighboring states and Central Asia, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Support for Pakistani Taliban
According to the report, Al-Qaeda provided ideological guidance, training and support to the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan movement in its insurgent activities against Pakistan. On April 28, the group’s media arm, As-Sahab Media Foundation, released a statement supporting the Taliban and, for the first time, the Pakistani Taliban in their operations against Pakistan.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, according to the UN’s assessment, has transformed from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist structure. It has created logistical and financial networks operating through decentralized and dispersed cells rather than large units. The report also states that the group’s leaders are in Kabul and have received Afghan identity documents — tazkiras — which may indicate close cooperation with the Taliban.
Differing assessments of the threat
Analyst Alex Mishra told the publication that 25 years after the September 11 attacks, Al-Qaeda has a greater territorial presence on three continents than at any time since its founding. In his view, the group’s lower public activity does not mean that it has disappeared or been defeated.
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Former Pakistani special representative for Afghanistan Asif Durrani, by contrast, believes that Al-Qaeda has lost influence and appeal, while the Islamic State group has become the more prominent jihadist threat. Afghan affairs expert Kamal Alam said that Al-Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan is at its highest level since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. He recalled the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul after the Taliban seized power.
The Taliban’s position and the Mohammed case
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, rejected Afghanistan’s responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks and said that the organizers allegedly received training, housing and logistical support outside the country. He also claims that the current authorities do not allow foreign armed groups to operate in Afghanistan and do not shelter foreign organizations.
The publication also recalls the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, whom U.S. authorities call the alleged organizer of the September 11 attacks. He was detained in Pakistan in 2003 and transferred to Guantanamo in 2006. A military judge set the start of his trial with three co-defendants for June 5, 2028.
