Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials on Tuesday rejected claims by the Tajik president that thousands of militants are grouping in north-eastern Afghanistan, close to the southern border of Tajikistan.

Bilal Karimi, the deputy IEA spokesman, told Ariana News that there is no truth in these claims and that there are no threats to neighboring countries that emanate from Afghanistan.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Monday during a virtual Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit that over 6,000 militants have grouped at over 40 camps near their southern border.

“In general, according to the intelligence services of Tajikistan, the number of camps and training centers for terrorists bordering the southern borders of the CSTO in the north-eastern provinces of Afghanistan totals over 40, and their numerical strength reaches more than 6,000 militants,” said Rahmon during an emergency summit of the organization on the situation in Kazakhstan.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported that according to Rahmon, the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border is becoming more complicated every day, and that fighting between the IEA is ongoing along the border.

“Therefore, we need to create a security belt around Afghanistan,” Rahmon suggested.

He stressed that the increased activity of international terrorist groups in Afghanistan directly affects the CSTO collective security zone. “You and I know very well that since the second half of August 2021, thousands of members of ISIS (Daesh), al-Qaeda, Ansarullah, Hizb ut-Tahrir have been released from prisons in Afghanistan.”

He said that Daesh militants are strengthening their positions in Afghanistan.

Rahmon also said that the events taking place in Kazakhstan confirm the need to strengthen the joint fight against terrorism, TASS reported.

“The tragic events in Kazakhstan reaffirm the need to strengthen our joint comprehensive work to counter terrorism and extremism, religious radicalism and transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking,” he said.

Rahmon also said that a number of groups banned in Tajikistan are showing “particularly aggressive activity,” and many of their followers make up the backbone of the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh).

“We in Tajikistan are strenuously fighting the agitation and subversive work of emissaries of banned organizations,” he stressed.

But the IEA’s Karimi was adamant that no threats emanate from Afghanistan.

“We totally reject this. The threats that they are concerned about do not exist in our country. Islamic Emirate is committed to its policy that no country would be threatened from our country.

“No group or gang engaged in destructive activities are operating in Afghanistan that could threaten other countries,” he said.

“We assure them, and we want good relations with all countries including our neighbors. Let me tell you something that spoilers who fled the country are conveying false information to [foreign countries],” he said.