The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Monday, urging the Islamic Emirate’s de-facto government to take immediate and specific actions to combat rising terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan.
The meeting saw representatives from the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the United States, China, Russia, and Denmark express growing concerns about security threats, including the Islamic State (IS), emanating from Afghanistan.
The council members described the threats as a danger to both the region and the world.
The discussion focused on the 20th biannual report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security.
Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov, Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, stated that ISIS-Khorasan remains a threat to Afghanistan, the region, and the world. “In addition to launching attacks within Afghanistan, IS-Khorasan has also carried out attacks in Europe,” he said.
“Terrorism remains a significant and evolving threat to global peace and security, one that no State can confront in isolation,” Voronkov added.
Representatives from China, Russia, Denmark, and Pakistan also raised concerns over security threats originating from Afghanistan during the Security Council session.
The Russian Ambassador to the UN said that the international community has failed to adequately address the access of some groups to American weapons left behind in Afghanistan. “The hasty withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan resulted in many weapons being left behind, which have fallen into the hands of ISIS. We cannot ignore the situation in Afghanistan,” he said.
Fu Cong, China’s Ambassador to the UN, emphasized that the Islamic Emirate must take concrete actions against security situation in Afghanistan. “China is committed to supporting the efforts of Central Asian countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to cooperate with the Islamic Emirate in eliminating terrorist groups in Afghanistan,” he added.
Some political analysts believe that the U.S. is using such meetings to discredit the region and reduce Russia, China, and Iran’s influence in Afghanistan.
Khalil Ahmad Nadem, a political analyst, says that the United Nations lacks independence in its decisions regarding Afghanistan and the world. “The U.S. has spent billions of dollars here; they want to destabilize the region through this issue, and these meetings are futile,” he said.
Zalmay Afghanyar Popal, another political expert, remarked: “In the past, millions of dollars were spent daily to eliminate these threats, but nothing has been done in the last three years. If it’s a global threat, the fight should be global.”
The Islamic Emirate has not yet responded to the concerns raised by the UN Security Council members. However, it previously stated that no country is threatened from Afghan territory.
