The 35th report of the Monitoring Team for the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the United Nations (UN) highlights the ongoing security threats emanating from Afghanistan, emphasizing the presence of over two dozen terrorist organizations operating in the country.
The report identifies ISIL-K as the most serious threat to the Taliban, ethnic and religious minorities, foreign nationals, and international representatives.
The group's sustained presence and capability to conduct high-impact operations, such as the assassination of acting Minister of Refugees & Repatriation Khalil Ahmed Haqqani, underscore the Taliban’s inability to counter ISIL-K effectively.
The report also details ISIL-K’s recruitment efforts among ethnic Tajiks and its influence in northern Afghanistan, despite Taliban crackdowns.
Additionally, it notes the presence of training camps led by Arab instructors in Kunar and Nuristan and ISIL-K’s attempts to expand operations into Central Asia, Iran, and Russia.
The report highlights the continuing presence of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan, with the Taliban maintaining a permissive environment that enables the group to consolidate its position.
Al-Qaida leaders are strategically positioned across the country, including in secure locations in Kabul, rural provinces, and training compounds. Sayf al-Adl’s reported strategy of reactivating sleeper cells in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Europe suggests Al-Qaida's long-term intent to conduct external operations.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is also reported to have maintained its strength, with increased attacks on Pakistan, facilitated by Taliban logistical and financial support. TTP has expanded its recruitment and training operations, forming deeper ties with Al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban factions.
The report further notes the role of ETIM/TIP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Jamaat Ansarullah in strengthening terrorist networks across Afghanistan, particularly in the northern provinces.
ISIL-K has attempted to recruit members of these groups through financial incentives. Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade has carried out multiple high-casualty attacks in southern Pakistan, with operational connections to ISIL-K and other extremist factions.
The Taliban’s involvement in providing legal travel documents to Al-Qaida-linked fighters raises concerns over their potential infiltration into neighboring countries.
The report concludes by warning of the risk posed by these interconnected terrorist networks, which continue to access weapons from the former Afghan National Army and operate with relative freedom under Taliban rule.
