RASC News Agency: Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, asserts that the Taliban are receiving millions of dollars from certain countries under the pretext of combating ISIS-Khorasan. In a statement released on Thursday, June 6, on the social network “X,” Nabil wrote: “The Taliban and their supporters claim that without engagement and recognition of their regime, they will weaken, leading to ISIS taking their place.”
The former Afghanistan security chief added that, based on credible information, while the Taliban publicly deny ISIS-Khorasan’s presence in Afghanistan, they privately claim in security meetings with various countries that they have no plans for jihad outside Afghanistan. However, ISIS-Khorasan is pursuing a “global jihad” strategy. Nabil stated that the Taliban use this narrative to secure funds from various countries under the guise of fighting ISIS. “This tactic has compelled some vulnerable regional countries to engage unwillingly with the Taliban regime.”
In the past year, ISIS-Khorasan has launched deadly attacks in Iran, Russia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, increasing concerns about the group’s influence in the region.
Following these attacks, the governments of Russia and Iran announced increased engagement with the Taliban. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the Taliban are in power in Afghanistan, making contact and interaction with them necessary. Putin’s envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has repeatedly emphasized Russia’s close contact with the Taliban, praising their efforts against ISIS. Iranian officials, including Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib and Ambassador Kazemi Qomi, the special representative of Iran’s president in Kabul, have also reported close cooperation with the Taliban in combating ISIS.
Four Central Asian countries, namely Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, have close economic and political cooperation with the Taliban. Tajikistan remains the only Central Asian country that has not established public relations with the Taliban.
