MONITORING (SW) – Analysts believe terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda pose serious threats to stability and peace in Afghanistan.
A number of political analysts believe that al-Qaeda is trying to re-establish itself in Afghanistan and is trying to increase its membership by taking advantage of the country’s precarious situation.
Wais Naseri, a political analyst, told Salam Watandar that the al-Qaeda network is more active in Afghanistan than ever before, and that spread of the network would pose a threat to security in Afghanistan and the region.
“Al-Qaeda has been and is much stronger in the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan and is a threat to the whole region and the world,” Naseri added.
Mehdi Afzali, another political analyst, says the untimely collapse of the political structure has strengthened al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. According to Afzali, the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, the weakness of the current political structure and economic problems are among the reasons for the increase in the activities of the al-Qaeda network.
In his remarks, head of the U.S. Central Command told the Associated Press in an interview published on Thursday that the number of al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan has “probably slightly increased” following the U.S.’s withdrawal from the country.
“There’s a presence. We thought it was down pretty small, you know, toward the end of the conflict. I think some people have probably come back in. But it’s one of the things we look at,” Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie told the news outlet, adding that he did not feel confident putting a definite number on how many al-Qaeda members are inside Afghanistan.
McKenzie said that porous borders in the country have allowed some members to reenter, adding that they were trying to build their numbers back up.
“What we would like to see from the Taliban would be a strong position against al-Qaeda,” he told the AP, but also noted that “I think there are internal arguments inside the Taliban about the way forward.”
The CENTCOM chief McKenzie concluded by emphasizing that the Islamic Emirate was expected to take effective action against al-Qaeda.
SALAM Watandar wanted to have the views of the spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate in relation to this issue, but they did not answer repeated calls.
ENDS
