Taliban Loot Panjshir Mines, Bring No Benefit To People, Reveals Poll

His visit to Afghanistan has raised concerns about his possible links to jihadist groups operating in the region.

French television channel TF1 reported that the Belgian Islamist preacher had recently announced in a video that he had traveled to Afghanistan after serving his sentence in Belgium.

He also stated that his goal is to live "according to the principles of Sharia" and "show the true face of Afghanistan".

In the video, which was posted on YouTube, Jean-Louis Denis said that he went to Kunduz. He said he lives near an orphanage and plans to support it with a project.

Denis also claimed that he did not come to Afghanistan to participate in jihad, but rather to implement a project in the field of sustainable agriculture.

Although the Belgian Islamist preacher has said that he does not seek jihad in Afghanistan, he has previously praised the Taliban for "beheading infidels" in his remarks.

Jean-Louis Denis was released in December 2018 after serving his sentence in prison. He was expelled from Benin (a West African country) in 2022 for extremist activities and links to jihadist groups.

Noting that Denis adhered to extremist ideologies even after serving his sentence, the report wrote that his approach may only be a cover for his activities to join jihadist groups and expand their influence.

Denis was involved in recruiting and organising the travel of dozens recruits from European countries to war zones such as Syria.

One of the people facilitated by Jean-Louis Denis was Najim al-Ashrawi, the suicide bomber of the March 22, 2016 attack in Brussels.

While security experts warn of the rise of jihadist groups in Afghanistan, US officials have also expressed concern about the increasing threat of ISIS in Afghanistan.

Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said in a recent statement that he is concerned about the group's attack on the United States as ISIS' presence in Afghanistan increases and wars spread around the world.

A report by independent international organisations shows that ISIS continues to recruit and expand its influence in Afghanistan. According to the UN Security Council report, ISIS has even infiltrated the Taliban's security institutions.

The source said that Taliban officials are also likely to meet with the ISI chief.

The Taliban on Tuesday announced that the group’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and the group's intelligence chief, Abdul Haq Wasiq, had made an unannounced visit to the United Arab Emirates.

During the visit, senior Taliban security officials met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the head of state of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi.

According to the security source, the purpose of the visit was to mediate between the Taliban and Pakistan. Taliban officials are also likely to hold talks with the ISI chief during the visit.

Recently, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials during his visit to Pakistan.

The Taliban's relations with Pakistan have been severely strained after Pakistani warplanes attacked eastern Afghanistan. Both sides accuse each other of supporting their armed opposition groups. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of supporting and arming TTP militants. The Taliban has also accused Pakistan of supporting ISIS and claimed that ISIS bases are located in Pakistan's Balochistan.

Pakistan has so far refused to negotiate directly with the Afghan Taliban on Pakistani insurgents, but the increase in militant attacks has inflicted heavy casualties on its military.

According to reports, the rate of security incidents in the country has increased by 90% since 2020. Many observers have linked Pakistan's insecurity to developments in Afghanistan, especially since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Following the escalation of tensions, a group of politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa met with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir last week and called for dialogue and interaction with the Taliban. Pakistan's army chief has also emphasised that the only difference between the country and the Taliban is the issue of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Earlier, some sources said that Islamabad had asked China to pressure the Taliban to stop supporting the TTP.

The Pakistani military has identified the militant as Mohammad Khan Ahmadkhel, 48, an Afghan citizen.

Mohammad Khan Ahmadkhel, a native of Wazakhwa District of Paktika Province, was killed on January 11 after a clash with Pakistani security forces, the Pakistani military's public relations said on Tuesday, January 21.

"This incident is irrefutable evidence of the involvement of Afghan citizens in terrorist activities in Pakistan," the Pakistani military statement said.

Pakistani officials once again called on the Taliban to fulfil their commitments to prevent the use of Afghan soil to carry out "terrorist" acts against Pakistan.

An official Emirati media outlet also wrote that Haqqani spoke with Sheikh Mohammed about the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on his Facebook page that Abdul Haq Wasiq, the group's intelligence chief, is also accompanying Haqqani on his trip to the UAE.

According to the Taliban spokesman, Haqqani's meeting with Sheikh Mohammed "discussed issues of interest to the two countries, mutual stability, economic strengthening of Afghanistan, and some other important issues".

The state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) also reported that Sheikh Mohammed held talks with the Taliban's interior minister on Tuesday at Qasr al-Shati in Abu Dhabi about the recent developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

According to the report, the two sides also discussed Afghanistan's reconstruction and stability, ways to develop and prosper the Afghan people.

The news agency wrote that Haqqani appreciated the UAE's humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

A few days ago, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, visited the United Arab Emirates along with a delegation. During that visit, Muttaqi met with the UAE president as well as India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has hosted important meetings of Western delegations with Taliban representatives in recent years since the group came to power in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Sadiq Khan said that the two sides agreed to jointly address these challenges.

Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan affairs wrote on his account on the social media platform X, "Today, I hosted Hashem Ashjazade, Iran's special representative for Afghanistan affairs and director general for South Asia at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

The meeting was also attended by Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's ambassador to Islamabad, and Mohammad Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan's ambassador to Tehran, Sadiq Khan said.

The Islamic Republic and the government of Pakistan were among the few countries that established diplomatic relations with the Taliban at the very beginning and kept their embassies open in Kabul. However, due to the Taliban's lack of cooperation on the issue of Iran's water rights, as well as the group's unwillingness to suppress the Pakistani Taliban, Islamabad and Tehran's relations with the Taliban have been strained.