WASHINGTON: The United States has cautioned countries against taking steps that could support the Taliban, as Russia hosts a regional meeting on Afghanistan attended by representatives of several countries.
The US State Department said the Taliban remains on Washington’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists and warned nations against providing support to the group.
“We caution all countries against taking actions that could support terrorist groups, including the Taliban,” a State Department spokesperson said, according to Voice of America.
The warning came as Russia hosted the eighth annual Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, with a Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attending the meeting on October 5.
Representatives from Pakistan, Iran, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also took part, while Belarus and Egypt attended as guest delegations.
Addressing the 8th Meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq warned that the Taliban regime was complicit in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, adding that terrorist groups are operating with impunity from Afghan soil to carry out attacks against Pakistani civilians and security personnel.
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Sadiq said thousands of innocent Pakistani civilians and security personnel have been martyred in the last few years as a result of terrorist attacks planned, financed, supported and carried out from Afghan soil.
“The Taliban Regime is complicit in this. No responsible state can remain passive when its security is repeatedly undermined, and its people are viciously targeted.”
The Special Representative said that Pakistan attaches immense importance to the role of the “Moscow Format’ in advancing the shared goal of a peaceful and stable region.
The Moscow Format meeting brought together special representatives and senior officials from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Belarus and Egypt attending as guest delegations.
The Moscow Format provides a regional platform for discussing developments in Afghanistan and issues affecting regional stability.
Mohammad Sadiq said that terrorism remains at the core of Afghanistan’s problems, with roots in the nexus between the Taliban Regime and terrorist groups including the TTP, BLA, ETIM, ISKP, Al Qaeda and their affiliates, that operate with impunity on Afghan soil. “The situation is worsened by external actors and spoilers who support proxies inside Afghanistan to target Pakistan and other countries in the region,” Sadiq said.
Sadiq said that five years into the Taliban rule, Pakistan faced the most serious security threat. “Over the last three years alone, more than 4,700 innocent Pakistanis have lost their lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. No country would tolerate such a situation,” he said.
