A recent report by the UN has said the Taliban are once again allowing the terror group Al Qaeda on Afghan soil – one of the original justifications for the US-led invasion of the country, following the group’s September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington that killed 3,000 people.
The UN as well as experts spoken to by The National say the movement is now torn between a dangerous militant wing that refuses to compromise and a less militant but still extremely conservative side.
The Taliban have also appointed several Al Qaeda members to advisory roles in its administration as well as provided their members with monthly “welfare payments”, portions of which filtered down to fighters of affiliated groups, according to the Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team.
The sustained influence of Al Qaeda, the report claims, has contributed to widening fault lines within the Taliban.
The killing of former Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri in a US drone strike in July 2022 exposed these divisions, with some Taliban members feeling deceived over the presence of the terrorist leader in Kabul, reportedly protected by the Haqqanis – a powerful network within the movement.
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