Taliban Rejected Pakistan Accusations of Involved in attacks on Chinese Nationals
KABUL (Defence Afghanistan) — On Friday, the ruling Taliban of Afghanistan rejected the results of the Pakistani investigation that claimed Chinese workers in Pakistan were attacked by militants from Afghanistan in recent days.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the central spokesperson of the Taliban, told an Afghan TV channel that Afghanistan had no involvement in the attack on Chinese citizens in Pakistan on March 26, and that this is an internal matter for Pakistan to resolve. Mujahid stated in a message to Afghanistan’s Tolo TV that any reports from Pakistan about the attack on Chinese citizens are attempts to damage the trust between Afghanistan and China. “We have repeatedly rejected this report as unfounded.”
A day before the Taliban’s position, a delegation of Pakistani officials traveled to Kabul and shared the investigation report on the killing of five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver in a suicide attack with Taliban officials. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, told a weekly press conference in Islamabad that the Pakistani delegation also asked the Taliban for help in arresting those involved in the attack, stating that Pakistani authorities have shared concrete evidence with the Taliban.
Baloch added that Taliban officials promised that Afghan soil will not be used for terrorism, and they will review the findings of the Pakistani investigation and cooperate with Pakistan. Pakistan’s military and government officials believe that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is designated as a terrorist organization internationally, organized the attack on the Chinese in Pakistan from locations in Afghanistan. Recently, the TTP has accepted responsibility for a number of attacks in Pakistan. Pakistani officials claim that after the Taliban’s re-establishment in Afghanistan, TTP leaders and militants moved to shelters in Afghanistan and increased their attacks from across the border, gaining freedom of activity in Afghanistan.
The ruling Taliban of Afghanistan consistently rejects Pakistan’s claims, stating that there are no non-civilian armed forces in Afghanistan and that they do not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against another country. However, critics question the Taliban’s stance. This month, the US government reported to Congress that the Taliban allow al-Qaeda leaders, the TTP, and other militants to operate in Afghanistan.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov also commented on Friday that the situation in Afghanistan is a source of regional instability. According to Russia’s Tass news agency, Belousov told a meeting of regional defense ministers in Kazakhstan that extremist groups have established themselves in Afghanistan and are increasing efforts to spread their influence to neighboring countries, raising the risk of criminal groups and terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
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A United Nations report published earlier this year stated that the Taliban sympathize with the TTP, providing them with weapons and equipment, with some Afghan Taliban joining the TTP in attacks on Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban government has not yet been officially recognized by any country. China is the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul after the Taliban’s re-establishment in 2021 and the first country to officially accept the Taliban’s representative as an ambassador in Beijing.