The official responsible for the United Nations Security Council sanctions monitoring team, Colin Smith, says that 135 members of the Taliban, including members of the Haqqani network, are listed under the Security Council sanctions regime due to their past terrorist activities and affiliations.
Smith said that 59 of these individuals continue to hold positions in the Taliban government. He added that the Haqqani network remains active; however, Anas Haqqani, brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting Interior Minister, had previously denied the existence of a separate “Haqqani network” outside the Taliban’s structure.
The UN official said that the Taliban’s ties with, and support for, a number of terrorist groups remain a matter of concern for the United Nations. According to him, UN assessments indicate that at least 20 terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan and surrounding areas.
Smith said that although not all of these groups are included on the Security Council’s sanctions list, their presence in Afghanistan poses security concerns for the region and the international community.
He also said that the Taliban provide “active support” to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to him, a recent report by the UN monitoring team states that TTP members receive monthly salaries from the Taliban.
Smith further said that the Taliban pursue a policy of support or tolerance toward certain terrorist groups, and that their ties with some of these groups continue at senior levels.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
