Taliban Claims Norway Does Not Back Group's Opponents

The Taliban, citing Paul Klouman Bekken, Norway's charge d’Affaires in Afghanistan, wrote that ISIS has been suppressed in Afghanistan and has lost its power.

This media outlet affiliated with the Taliban, quoting Bekken, reported that Norway does not support the group's adversaries.

However, amidst the Taliban's control in Afghanistan, political and military opponents of the group have initiated their resistance efforts, occasionally convening meetings in various countries to discuss the Afghan situation, while guerrilla attacks persist in some provinces.

The Taliban, citing a foreign official, made this statement even though just a few days ago, an ISIS branch operating from Afghanistan executed a deadly attack in Moscow, resulting in 139 casualties.

The active presence of ISIS in Afghanistan and its orchestration of attacks from Afghan territory against neighbouring countries have raised significant global and regional concerns.

Earlier, the United Nations Security Council called the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan a major threat to the region. Additionally, the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation warned that the growing presence of ISIS in northern Afghanistan poses a primary threat to stability in Central Asia.

Nevertheless, during a meeting with the Norwegian ambassador, Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's deputy prime minister for political affairs highlighted the group's "balanced policy" and expressed support for "positive interaction with all parties”.

This Taliban official also mentioned the employment of "thousands of women" in government and private sectors. This is while for the past two and a half years, the group has deprived women and girls of education and prohibited women's employment, even with non-governmental organisations.