Taliban attacks carried out in collusion with Pak-based terror groups: Afghan foreign ministry

At a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of neighbouring countries, Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar on Tuesday named Pakistan-based terror groups and other terror organisations supporting the Taliban amid the ongoing escalation of violence in the country said the Afghan Foreign Ministry. On Tuesday, Afghan foreign minister Haneef Atmar met with ambassadors and representatives of neighbouring countries to discuss the situation in the country.

This came amid heavy clashes between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban in several Afghan cities.

"Minister Atmar noted that the Taliban attacks were carried out in direct collusion with more than 10,000 regional terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ansarullah, Jundallah, al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)," Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The rise of the Taliban's bloody attacks in recent months had killed more than 3,000 people, displaced more than 300,000, and disrupted order and provision of services in half of the country's districts. Currently, 18 million people face dire humanitarian situations," Atmar said.

He said the Taliban's war crimes were indescribable, referring to the massacre of more than 100 people in Spin Boldak, forced marriages, destruction of more than 300 public infrastructures, and suspension of services in Taliban-controlled areas.

During the meeting, the representatives of regional countries and the United Nations expressed their support for an immediate cessation of violence and strengthening the peace process.

The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said the attack on Herat and the UNAMA office showed that actions do not reflect commitments. She added that this was not just Afghan's struggle, but a struggle that we should all pay serious attention to, read the statement.

"Atmar discussed and provided the necessary information on six main areas, including: (1) the security situation, (2) the presence of foreign fighters alongside the Taliban, (3) the dire humanitarian condition, and (4) the Taliban's widespread crimes and human rights violations, (5) the government's new security plan, and (6) main areas of cooperation with the international community," it added.

In the past few weeks, Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

(With ANI inputs)

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