Al-Qaeda intensifying presence in Afghanistan, setting up new training facilities, says UN report

The al-Qaeda terror group is making a comeback in Afghanistan under the Taliban government, according to a new report released by the UN Security Council.

As per the report, the terrorist group has set up eight new training camps alongside five madrasas, Islamic educational institutions, around Afghanistan. They are located in several provinces, including Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, and Uruzgan.

The report also listed the locations where al-Qaeda moved its agents into and out of neighbouring Iran and also revealed the establishment of new weapons stockpiling base in the Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul.

"The group maintains safe houses to facilitate the movement between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the provinces of Herat, Farah, and Helmand, with additional safe house locations in Kabul," the report said.

"The presence of al Qaeda senior figures in the country has not changed, and the group continues to pose a threat in the region and potentially beyond," the U.N.report warns.

However, it mentioned that in its assessment, "the group cannot at present project sophisticated attacks at long range."

"This accommodation of al-Qaeda within Afghanistan has validated longstanding fears voiced by many observers regarding the country once again becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations under Taliban rule," Shahin Modarres, an international security analyst specialising in Iran affiliated with the Center for Middle East and Global Order think tank, was quoted as saying by The Media Line.

Modarres stated that there is a shared ideological alignment and history of collaboration between al-Qaeda and the Taliban, who retook control of Afghanistan in the year 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from the nation.

He claimed that both the groups had maintained close relations throughout their insurgency against the coalition forces, based on a shared jihadist philosophy and mutual support for each other's goals.

Taliban denies report

The Taliban released a statement declining the claims made in the report stating that the United Nations is "always spreading propaganda."

"There is no one related to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, nor does the Islamic Emirate allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against others," the statement said.

(With inputs from agencies)