Moscow Afghanistan Talks Draw US Warning on Taliban Support

Washington (GNP): The United States (US) has cautioned countries against taking steps that could support the Taliban, as Russia hosted a regional meeting on Afghanistan attended by several states.

The US State Department said the Taliban remains on Washington’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. A spokesperson urged all countries to avoid actions that could lend support to terrorist groups, including the Taliban.

The warning coincided with the eighth annual Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, held in Moscow on October 5. A Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the meeting.

Representatives from Pakistan, Iran, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also took part. Belarus and Egypt joined as guest delegations. The Moscow Format serves as a regional platform for discussing developments in Afghanistan and issues affecting regional stability.

Pakistan used the forum to press its security concerns. Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq told the meeting that Islamabad attaches great importance to the Moscow Format in advancing a peaceful and stable region.

He then set out Pakistan’s central grievance. Sadiq said terrorist groups operate with impunity from Afghan soil and carry out attacks on Pakistani civilians and security personnel. He said thousands of people have been killed in recent years in attacks planned, financed, supported and carried out from Afghanistan.

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Sadiq said, “The Taliban Regime is complicit in this.” He added that no responsible state can remain passive when its security is repeatedly undermined and its people are targeted.

He traced the problem to what he called a nexus between the Taliban regime and terrorist groups. He named Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Al Qaeda, along with their affiliates. According to Sadiq, external actors and spoilers worsen the situation by backing proxies inside Afghanistan to target Pakistan and other regional countries.

Sadiq said that five years into Taliban rule, Pakistan faces its most serious security threat. He put the toll at more than 4,700 Pakistanis killed in the last three years alone by terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

Sadiq said, “No country would tolerate such a situation.”