Muttaqi denies existence of Daesh in Afghanistan

Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said Saturday that Daesh (ISIS-K) does not have a footprint in the country and that any incident carried out by the group in Afghanistan “is imported from abroad”.

Muttaqi made the remarks during an interview with state-run TV RTA.

His remarks came in response to comments by the head of US Central Command, Michael Kurilla, who said Daesh in Afghanistan will be able to attack American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months “with little to no warning.”

Kurilla made the remarks on Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting and said Daesh is rapidly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia.

“My commanders estimate that they can do an external operation against US or Western interests in under six months with little to no warning. In a classified session, I would talk about why I made that assessment. It is much harder for them to be able to do that against the homeland,” he said.

The IEA’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected Kurilla’s remarks on Daesh’s ability to attack the US within six months and said that the group is being eliminated in Afghanistan.

However, Muttaqi also believes that there are no opposition groups in Afghanistan.

“This is a good thing for us that Afghans do not have any problems among themselves,” Muttaqi said.

Muttaqi said that those who make such claims are unaware of the situation or there is “a hidden purpose behind their words”.

He also said the borders of the country are now secure and that security in the country has improved overall.