Salafi, Takfiri Seminaries Relocated to Afghanistan, Says Former Iranian Envoy

Abolfzal Zohrevand, the former ambassador of the Islamic Republic in Kabul, said that about 20 terrorist and radical fundamentalist groups are active in Afghanistan, and some Salafi and Takfiri seminaries have relocated to the country.

Zohrevand said that Afghanistan is turning into a dangerous black hole in the region.

In an interview with the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) on Thursday, the former Iranian ambassador to Kabul, said that any regional group with access to weapons and radical ideology has representatives in Afghanistan.

Zohrevand stressed that the recent statements of the former US special envoy for Afghanistan about the Taliban must be taken seriously.

On the eve of the second year of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, Khalilzad in an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, asked the opposition leaders of the Taliban to return to Kabul and talk with the group.

Referring to these statements Zohrevand said, “Zalmay Khalilzad clearly declares the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan as a political reality and even asks the country's politicians to return and continue their lives [under the group]. He has made these statements while the US has not recognised the Taliban, and has put new scenarios on its agenda.”

The former Iranian ambassador to Kabul believes that the US is even looking to shift the conflict and crisis into Pakistan in any possible way.

According to him, even the Chinese in Pakistan's Gwadar port had been singled out and it was a targeted attack.

Referring to the Taliban’s lack of legitimacy in Afghanistan, Zohrevand said that with the current situation, a popular uprising might emerge in Afghanistan, which according to him will undoubtedly plunge the Taliban into a deeper crisis.