Taliban told to make clean break from regional terrorist outfits

July 29, 2021: Pakistan and China have jointly urged the Afghan Taliban to completely sever ties with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and all other organizations that put both countries at risk.

The Taliban, who have made rapid strides in Afghanistan since US and NATO forces began withdrawing from the war-torn country, have made it clear that they have not only had to break clean from terrorist organizations, but also to oust them from areas under Taliban control.

Taliban delegations have visited neighboring countries in recent weeks, gaining international recognition for the movement, which has been considered a banned organization for the past two decades.

Their latest host is China, whose foreign minister, Wang Yi, met Wednesday in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin with a nine-member delegation led by Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar Akhund during a two-day visit.

Although China has maintained contact with the Taliban, this is the first time Foreign Minister Wang has publicly met with Taliban leaders. Following the Taliban delegation’s visit, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed also visited.

Joint threat to regional peace

Official sources familiar with the development said the message from the Chinese came in the wake of a July 14 terrorist attack on Chinese nationals working on a hydropower project in the mountain town of Dasu.

At least nine Chinese were killed in the attack, which was initially described as an accident. However, later investigations revealed that it was a terrorist attack and both Pakistan and China vowed to expose and punish the perpetrators.

During a recent visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Qureshi and ISI Director General Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, Pakistan shared the findings of the investigation with Chinese officials. China’s own investigation has also indicated that the ETIM carried out the attack with the help of the TTP.

According to sources, some “enemy agencies” were also likely to be involved. ETIM, an Uighur Islamic extremist group based in western China, wants to replace Xinjiang with an independent state called East Turkestan.

Since ETIM and TTP are based in Afghanistan and have enjoyed some support from the Afghan Taliban, both Islamabad and Beijing have raised the issue with the group. China has growing concerns about the negative consequences of the US and NATO withdrawal in Afghanistan.

The Kohistan terror attack has raised alarm bells in both China and Pakistan, raising fears that the security vacuum in Afghanistan will cripple groups such as the ETIM and the TTP, costing China billions of dollars. The Economic Corridor (CPEC) could be at risk.

In this context, Pakistan requested China to convey its concerns directly to the Taliban over its alleged links with anti-Pakistan and anti-China terrorist groups. The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that Beijing had raised the ETIM issue with a delegation from the Afghan Taliban.

Chinese foreign ministry statement

According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Wang stressed that ETIM is a UN Security Council-designated international terrorist organization that is directly involved in China’s national security and territorial integrity.

“It is the common responsibility of the international community to fight this. We hope that the Afghan Taliban will have a clear break with all terrorist organizations, including ETIM, and to remove obstacles, play a positive role and create conditions conducive to security, stability, development and cooperation in the region. We will fight them with determination and effectively.”

Pakistan sent a similar message to the Afghan Taliban, pressuring them to distance themselves from the TTP and take action against areas under Taliban control. The Afghan Taliban were also told that if they did not cooperate, they could face consequences such as not recognizing their authority.

However, it is not clear if the Afghan Taliban will agree to lead these groups, even though they have assured both Pakistan and China that they will not allow Afghan territory to be used against neighboring countries.

In the past, the Afghan Taliban have tried to attack the peace agreement between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Pakistan, but no progress has been made.

Pakistan hopes that China can replace the United States and play a constructive and positive role in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Islamabad feels that China has been used financially to persuade the Afghan Taliban to compromise.

Taliban delegations have also visited Iran and Russia in recent weeks. In a tweet about the visit to China, Taliban spokesman Muhammad Naeem said the meetings discussed politics, the economy and security in both countries, as well as the current situation in Afghanistan and the peace process.

Moscow, meanwhile, said it was boosting combat capabilities at its military base in Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic bordering Afghanistan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Tajikistan on Wednesday, saying the security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated rapidly.

Shoigu said Islamic State (IS) fighters are entering Afghanistan from other countries, including Syria and Libya, and has taken their arrival very seriously. “We are focusing on strengthening our base’s combat capabilities and improving plans to jointly prevent possible insurgent infiltration,” he said.

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