Kabul: We do not seek joint operations against Daesh

The Islamic Emirate said that it does not need the cooperation of other countries in fighting against Daesh in Afghanistan.

The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, told T0LOnews that Iran and Afghanistan are neighbors and there is a need to ensure security at the borders.

“Afghanistan and Iran are two neighbouring countries; we need security at our borders, and they must be aware of threats in their own territory and we’ll be in our own soil. However, we do not conduct joint operations there or request assistance because we have enough forces and experience in this area,” Mujahid told TOLOnews.

Earlier, the Diplomat Magazine reported that Tehran is likely to work with Kabul to conduct cross-border operations against the “ISKP.”

“In addition to joint intelligence and counterterrorism operations against the ISKP, Iran and the Taliban could also target smaller Sunni Islamist factions, and IS-affiliated Wahhabi groups, which thrive along Afghanistan’s southern and southeastern borders. These groups pose a grave threat to not just Tehran but also the region. This provides Iran with the justification that its cooperation with the Taliban and the eradication of extremist groups is for the good of regional security,” the report reads.

Some military analysts believe that in order to destroy Daesh, there should be a consensus.

“If there is a regional consensus and honest and decisive coordination to curb this group, it may have positive effects on curbing that group,” said Sadiq Shinwari, a military expert.

Earlier, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan and that between 70 to 80 Daesh members are estimated to be based in Afghanistan, and they are being hunted.

He said the sanctuaries of the Daesh group have been eliminated in Afghanistan.

“Their number is less, and it is around 70 to 80 people. They are dispersed and are under investigation. All their centers have been eliminated. Many of them are in prisons and some of them are being hunted. They have less numbers and all those paths which were supporting them (Daesh) have been suppressed,” Mujahid said.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that Daesh is not a threat for Afghanistan and that the Islamic Emirate’s forces have tightened the security across the borders.

Mujahid made the remarks in reaction to a report of an Indian newspaper in the Sunday Guardian, which cited senior members of the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan as saying that the motive behind the clash alongside the Durand Line on Jan. 20 was that “the Pakistan military was trying to push ISIS terrorists into Afghanistan and it was to pursue this objective that its armed forces stirred up the dispute at the border so that the ISIS cadre could enter into Afghanistan while the Afghanistan guards were engaged against their much well equipped neighbors.”

Mujahid added that Daesh is not acting in the interest of any country. “The borders of the countries are safeguarded. Our security forces are paying attention to any kind of danger. We don’t believe that there is Daesh in Afghanistan,” he said.

Source » pakobserver.net