UN says Al-Qaeda still maintains presence in Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda has reduced its operational activity in Afghanistan but continues to maintain a presence in the country, a senior United Nations counter-terrorism official said.

In an interview with TASS, Alexander Zuev, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, said multiple militant groups have historically operated in Afghanistan, with Al-Qaeda remaining present despite lower activity levels.

“For decades, many different terrorist groups have traditionally operated in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda is currently not showing high activity there,” Zuev said, “however, it maintains its presence in Afghanistan.”

He added that the group’s relationship with Afghanistan’s current rulers remains complicated.

“And it has complex relations with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan,” Zuev said. “We call them de facto authorities because they are not officially recognised by us as representatives of Afghanistan at the UN, but they are the ones governing the country.”

Zuev also identified other militant organisations as currently more active in the region.

“The most active groups there are the ISIS affiliate known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan (ISIL-K), as well as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan,” he said.

By Tamilla Hasanova