Taliban Seeks To Deepen Ties With Russia & Participate In Regional Initiatives

Kirby also called the claims about leaving US weapons in Afghanistan a "fallacy and farce".

Following the increase in attacks by militant groups, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against Pakistan security forces, some officials in the country claimed that US weapons left in Afghanistan were used in such attacks.

Last month, Pakistani media outlets quoted officials of the country, as saying that weapons left in Afghanistan, including those of the United States, were utilised in an attack on a training air base in Mianwali, Punjab.

Pakistan’s Interim Prime Minister, Anwar Haq Kakar, had also said that weapons left by the US in Afghanistan are used against Pakistan, China, Iran, and other countries in the region.

Kakar added that the new and advanced US equipment in Afghanistan can be dangerous for the regional countries. According to him, the US’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in weapons from the former government and American forces falling into the hands of various armed groups beyond the Taliban.

On Tuesday, Kirby said that he didn’t see the reports about the use of US weapons in Pakistan and could not verify them.

However, he explained that the US forces did not leave any equipment in Afghanistan, and the weapons that reached the hands of the Afghan Taliban belonged to the security forces of the previous government.

He added that the 20-year presence of the US in Afghanistan was armed and helped to equip the Afghan national security forces.

Kirby said that as the Taliban advanced, many former Afghan security forces decided not to fight and laid down their weapons.

Last week, Pakistani security forces announced the seizure of advanced US weapons from an incoming shipment from Afghanistan at the Torkham crossing.

According to Torkham customs officials, these weapons include AK-47s, grenades, night vision devices and thousands of bullets.

Pakistani security forces announced the seizure of these smuggled weapons just a day after a terrorist attack in Dera Ismail Khan resulted in the death of 23 Pakistani soldiers.

According to a Pentagon report, the US provided $18.6 billion worth of military equipment to the Afghan national army and security forces from 2005 to August 2021.

According to reports, after the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, equipment valued at 7.12 billion dollars remained in the country.

According to the sources, these group members who have been arrested in the last two years, have various charges against them such as adultery, rape, murder, and membership in ISIS.

It has been said that some of the detainees are accused of kidnapping for ransom.

Over the past two years, the Taliban has published many reports of freeing individuals held hostage by kidnappers. There was a widespread belief among the public that these kidnappers were affiliated with the Taliban. Additionally, reports received by Afghanistan International indicate that members of the Taliban have been involved in various crimes, including theft, murder, and rape.

The group has consistently denied any association with criminals. However, the recent findings show that the group members’ criminality has been confirmed by the government of the group. Despite this acknowledgment, the group is reluctant to disclose their identities and affiliations in order to preserve its public image.

Sources said that individuals accused of being members of ISIS are held in Taliban intelligence detention centres, while others are incarcerated at the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.

The Taliban imposes punishments on ordinary people for charges such as adultery (sex outside of marriage) and same-sex relationships (sodomy). However, there have been no published reports of members of the group facing punishment for such accusations.

At the 16th Parliamentary Assembly of the organisation in Moscow, Tasmagambetov said that the southern borders of Central Asia are facing direct threat.

He emphasised on the need for coordinated efforts to address the challenges posed by the current situation in Afghanistan.

He also said that following the recent meeting of the CSTO’s Security Council, the heads of the member states agreed to accelerate and finalise the draft of intergovernmental targeted programme aimed at reinforcing sections of the Tajik-Afghan border.

In a part of his speech, Tasmagambetov said that CSTO is going to hold an important military exercise in 2024.

He declared equipping the CSTO forces with modern weapon and military equipment as one of the most important tasks of the organisation.

CSTO’s Secretary General explained that a total of seven exercises have been planned with the participation of Collective Rapid Reaction, Peacekeeping and Logistics forces.

According to him, these exercises are supposed to be held in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, as well as in Tajikistan.

Tasmagambetov emphasised that work will be strengthened to improve mechanisms to counter a wide range of transnational challenges and threats.

Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are members of the CSTO. The organisation have held several joint military exercises near the Afghan border in the past two years.

In an interview with TASS news agency on Sunday, Semyon Grigoryev, Russia's ambassador to Tajikistan, said that the Taliban have not been able to secure the borders yet. He said that many times the extremists tried to infiltrate Tajikistan from Afghanistan in 2023.

The statement emphasised that there is a risk of wrongful detention of US citizens by the Taliban and that US citizens who are in Afghanistan should immediately depart via commercial means if possible.

The US State Department warned its citizens that even if they want to travel to Afghanistan for business, the risk of being wrongfully detained by the Taliban is high.

According to the assessment of this department, several terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan and US citizens are the target of kidnapping and illegal detention.

It added, "The Taliban have harassed and detained aid and humanitarian workers. The activities of foreigners may be viewed with suspicion, and reasons for detention may be unclear.”

The Taliban does not permit the US to check the welfare of detained US citizens in detention, including over the phone. The US State Department added that these detentions may be long and US citizens may have limited access to medical care or may be physically abused while detained.

According to the statement, even though the US’ ability to help its citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited, they can contact any US embassy or consulate outside Afghanistan for assistance, if needed.

However, following the Taliban’s takeover of power in 2021, the US Embassy in Kabul suspended its operations, and the US government is unable to provide emergency consular services to its citizens in Afghanistan.

TASS news agency reported that on the sidelines of the meeting, joint exercises had been held to prevent cyber-attacks by terrorist groups.

According to TASS, cyber terrorism is one of the major concerns of intelligence officials of the CSO member countries.

The purpose of this gathering in Delhi is to enhance interaction and cooperation in addressing cyberattacks by terrorist groups on the information infrastructure.

The use of digital currencies to finance terrorist activities in the region was one of the other topics discussed in the meeting.

India currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on member states for more efforts in the fight against terrorism.

China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan are members of the SCO. They have repeatedly expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan in the past two years.