Report: STRONG Ties Between Al Qaeda And Taliban, ISIS Is Growing Threat

The group is estimated to have between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters and has benefited from increased operational capabilities and freedom of movement since the country's fall. The report also claims that the relationship between the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups remains "strong and symbiotic," which concerns the United States and its allies. Taliban spokespersons had previously assured that Afghanistan would not become a haven for terrorist groups and that they would not allow any terror group to stage an attack from Afghan territory.

The 2020 Doha Agreement, negotiated under former President Trump, laid the groundwork for withdrawing all U.S. forces in exchange for a pledge from the Taliban to prevent any terrorist organization from using Afghan soil to threaten or attack the United States or its allies.

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However, the report states that al Qaeda's relationship with the Taliban is strong, and al Qaeda protects senior Taliban officials and has attempted to infiltrate the ranks of the government. The Taliban provided al Qaeda with monthly "welfare payments," with some of the money going to fighters in affiliated groups. The report confirms what the Afghan resistance has been fighting for since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

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"The time has come for the international community to acknowledge the gravity of Afghanistan's threats and its fragile state. It is crucial to abandon failed strategies that have failed to bring about any positive changes in the past two years or address the imminent dangers originating from Afghanistan," said Ali Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front (NRF).

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The U.N. report also highlights divisions within the Taliban, with the group battling internal divides between factions in Kandahar that are isolationist, religiously conservative, and unconcerned with international perception and the power center based in Kabul that tried to rebrand the Taliban as more pragmatic and open to engagement internationally. The competition for power is so fierce that it represents a real threat to the stability of the Afghan state.

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"Internal Taliban divisions could undermine the Taliban's ability to guarantee security and counter Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), however. Taliban internal divisions likely hinder their ability to have an effective security strategy which can address ISIS-K networks in northern and eastern Afghanistan," said Peter Mills, Afghanistan researcher at the Institute for the Study of War.

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The report also notes that al Qaeda uses Afghanistan as a logistical hub to recruit new fighters. It is quietly rebuilding its external operations capabilities, directly contradicting the Taliban's 2021 pledges to the international community. The Taliban rejected the report's findings and said the claims were untrue.

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The report notes that al Qaeda has become a more decentralized organization since being decimated after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and direct links and contacts with regional branches are weaker, which suggests their ability to coordinate large-scale attacks across affiliates is low. In the long term, al Qaeda will be able to capitalize and strengthen on continued instability in Afghanistan, the report states.

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Afghanistan has an estimated 400 al Qaeda fighters, with about 2,000 including family members and supporters. The terrorist group currently has a presence in major hubs such as Kabul, Kandahar, and Helmand and is also establishing new training camps, according to the report.

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The terror group's relationship with the Taliban is long-standing, with personal bonds of marriage and a shared partnership in armed struggle cemented through second-generation ties. Al Qaeda pledged allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar in the 1990s in exchange for a haven in Afghanistan. Mullah Omar refused to hand over Usama bin Laden to U.S. authorities after 9/11. Taliban leaders also consulted with al Qaeda leaders during the nearly two years of negotiations with the U.S. – and promised to honor the historical relationship between the Islamist militant groups.

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The NRF, viewed as the most formidable Afghan resistance unit, has been asking for more excellent assistance and support in their efforts to take on the Taliban, but such pleas have been brushed aside. The report highlights the growing presence, mobilization, and threat of over 21 terrorist groups in Afghanistan, endangering regional and international security. The gravity of Afghanistan's dangers and fragile state must be acknowledged, and strategies that have failed to bring about any positive changes in the past two years or address the imminent threats from Afghanistan must be abandoned.