Taliban govt in Afghanistan is helping US to 'end' Al-Qaeda: President Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden said that Washington is getting the help from Afghanistan's Taliban government to 'end' Al-Qaeda threat. Biden's seemingly off-the-cuff remark contradicts a UN report released last month that saidTaliban maintains "strong and symbiotic" ties with Al-Qaeda, and that Osama bin Laden's terror group "is rebuilding operational capability" on Afghan soil.

Biden was leaving a press conference on Friday on the US Supreme Court's decision to block his student debt relief programme when a reporter asked if he admitted to mistakes during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

"No, no. All the evidence is coming back," he replied, according to a White House transcript.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn't be there. I said we'd get help from the Taliban. What's happening now? What's going on? Read your press. I was right."

The question was prompted by a US state department report released on Friday which blamed both Trump and Biden administrations for chaos that followed during the final weeks of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent takeover of power by Taliban hardliners.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Afghanistan's Taliban governmentseized on Biden's comment.

"We consider remarks by US President Joe Biden about non-existence of armed groups in Afghanistan as acknowledgement of reality," the ministry said in a statement.

"It refutes the recent report by UN Sanctions Monitoring Team alleging the presence & operation of over twenty armed groups in Afghanistan."

Earlier, a UN report said there were indications armed groups such as Al-Qaeda were rebuilding in the country.

Also watch |Afghan women speak to WION from the ground: 'We want our freedoms back' | WION Originals

"The link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and symbiotic," it said.

"A range of terrorist groups have greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities. They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region.

The report highlighted that terrorist groups are now able to freely operate under the Taliban's authority in Afghanistan, and thus posing a significant threat of terrorism in the country and the wider region.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE