KABUL: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has capitalized on a comment made by US President Joe Biden, using it to reinforce their assertion that there is no Al-Qaeda threat in the country. Biden made the remark in response to a reporter’s question regarding mistakes made during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
According to a White House transcript, when asked if he admitted to mistakes, Biden replied, “No, no. All the evidence is coming back. Do you remember what I said regarding Afghanistan? I stated al Qaeda would not be in Afghanistan. I said it would not be there. I said we would get help from the Afghan Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right.”
This question arose after a report was released on Friday, highlighting that US officials faced challenges during the mass evacuations from Afghanistan due to a lack of clear decision-making, absence of centralized crisis management, and confusing public messaging. The report, known as the After Action Review, was commissioned by Secretary of State Antony Blinken following the chaotic scenes in Kabul when the Taliban took control after the 20-year presence of US military forces.
Biden’s Remarks are Acknowledgement of Reality: Afghanistan
Taking advantage of Biden’s comment, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday, interpreting it as an acknowledgment of the reality that there are no armed groups present in Afghanistan. The ministry stated, “We consider remarks by the United States’ President Joe Biden regarding non-existence of armed groups in Afghanistan as acknowledgement of reality. It refutes the recent report by the United Nations (UN) Sanctions Monitoring Team alleging the presence and operation of over 20 armed groups in Afghanistan.”
In May, a UN report had suggested that armed groups, including Al-Qaeda, were regrouping in Afghanistan. It highlighted the strong and symbiotic link between the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The report also warned that various terrorist groups had more freedom of movement under Taliban rule, leading to an increasing threat of terrorism in Afghanistan and the region.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has consistently denied allowing its territory to be used by armed groups plotting against other nations and has rejected the presence of Al-Qaeda. They have not acknowledged the reported killing of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a US drone strike in central Kabul last year, stating that investigations into the incident are ongoing.
