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Taliban pose severe threat to govt and still close to al-Qaeda: UN report
An emboldened Taliban poses a severe and expanding threat to the government of Afghanistan, remains close to al-Qaeda, and believes it can return to power by force if necessary, according to a United Nations Security Council report released on Wednesday.
The report compiled by the UN Monitoring Team, which is tasked with tracking security threats in Afghanistan, paints a bleak picture of the security outlook, CNN reported.
The UNSC report comes half way through the US and foreign troops withdrawal from Afghanistan – a retrograde expected to be finished by September 11.
According to the agreement, signed last year between the US and the Taliban, the insurgent group pledged to cut ties with terrorist groups including al-Qaeda.
But the UN Monitoring Team says the Taliban remains “closely aligned” with al-Qaeda — which has threatened “war on all fronts” against the US.
The two groups “show no indication of breaking ties,” even if they have temporarily tried to mask their connections, according to the report, although it notes that the Taliban calls this “false information.”
According to the UN report, 2020 was the “most violent year ever recorded by the United Nations in Afghanistan.”
Security incidents have risen over 60% in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
The UN team says that the Taliban is “reported to be responsible for the great majority of targeted assassinations that have become a feature of the violence in Afghanistan and that appear to be undertaken with the objective of weakening the capacity of the government and intimidating civil society.”
The report also indicates that part of the Taliban leadership has no interest in the peace process, saying that “both deputy leaders of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Yaqub Omari and Sirajuddin Haqqani are reported by Member States to oppose peace talks and favour a military solution.”
Haqqani is the commander of the Haqqani network, a powerful semi-autonomous force within the Taliban structure. According to the UN, Mullah Yaqub, son of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, was appointed as head of the Taliban’s Military Commission in May 2020.
The UN Monitors assess that the “security situation in Afghanistan remains as tense and challenging as at any time in recent history,” with member states reporting that the “Taliban have been emboldened to sustain attacks for longer periods while also exercising greater freedom of movement. This has allowed the Taliban to mass forces around key provincial capitals and district centres, enabling them to remain poised to launch attacks,” CNN reported.
The UN monitors added that many believe the Taliban are “seeking to shape future military operations when levels of departing foreign troops are no longer able to effectively respond.”
According to the UN report, member states assess that the Taliban “contest or control an estimated 50 to 70 percent of Afghan territory outside of urban centers, while also exerting direct control over 57 percent of district administrative centers.”
Asfandyar Mir, South Asia security analyst at Stanford University, says the Taliban appears ready to go on the offensive against the Afghan government. “Taliban is starting to put major pressure in provinces adjacent to Kabul — including, worryingly, in neighboring Laghman, which saw substantial Afghan security forces defections to the Taliban,” Mir told CNN.
“In the south of the country, the Taliban is poised to put more pressure on provincial capitals.”
The report assesses that, despite twenty years of warfare, Taliban numbers remain “robust” and “recruitment has remained steady” — with estimates of the insurgent group’s fighting strength ranging from 58,000 to 100,000, CNN reported.
Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, approximately 6.8 million Afghans have returned home, either voluntarily or forcibly, from neighboring countries and other nations, according to the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, speaking at a meeting on finalizing a draft plan for a permanent migration solution in Afghanistan, added that 1.3 million Afghans have been internally displaced due to natural disasters during the same period.
With winter approaching, widespread poverty and severe cold are threatening thousands of lives. Meanwhile, the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, continues.
The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly urged neighboring states to allow migrants to return voluntarily. According to UNHCR, over two million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of 2025.
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Only one of three Afghan suspects was on US terror watch list of 18,000
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has identified nearly 2,000 Afghans with suspected terror ties and continues to share intelligence with law enforcement agencies.
U.S. authorities are reviewing a classified terror watch list of about 18,000 people after it emerged that only one of three Afghan nationals arrested in recent high-profile cases was on the list, the New York Post reported, citing an intelligence source.
According to the NY Post, the revelation has raised concerns that some suspects may have been radicalized after arriving in the United States. The issue gained renewed attention following last month’s shooting of National Guard members in Washington, DC.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent told lawmakers at a December 11 hearing that around 18,000 known or suspected terrorists entered the U.S. over a four-year period under the previous administration. Since then, officials have been combing through the database to assess potential threats and examine how certain individuals were admitted into the country.
Jaan Shah Safi was the only one of three recently arrested Afghan nationals listed in the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), the U.S. government’s central terror database. Safi, who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, is accused of providing weapons and other support to ISIS-K. U.S. officials say he remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
The other two suspects — Rahmanullah Lakanwal, charged with killing a National Guard member in Washington, and Mohammad Dawood Alokozay of Texas, accused of threatening a suicide attack — were not on the watch list, according to the Post. Intelligence officials cited in the report said this suggests they may have been radicalized after entering the United States.
The Post said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has identified nearly 2,000 Afghans with suspected terror ties and continues to share intelligence with law enforcement agencies.
The issue has reignited debate over the vetting process used during the rapid evacuation of Afghans in 2021, when more than 100,000 people were brought to the United States.
Lawmakers and officials quoted by the New York Post called for closer scrutiny of those admitted during that period, amid growing political and public concern over national security and immigration policy.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan has signed a 30-year agreement with a private company to extract marble in Daikundi province.
Under the contract, the company will invest AFN 283 million in exploring and mining marble at the “Mesh-Uliya” site, spanning 16.74 square kilometers in central Daikundi.
Hedayatullah Badri, Minister of Mines and Petroleum, stated that the marble will be processed domestically before being exported abroad. He added that the Mesh-Uliya project is expected to create around 200 jobs, and the company is committed to supporting local communities through social initiatives.
Economic experts highlight that such investments, especially those focusing on domestic processing, are crucial for job creation, boosting exports, and strengthening the national economy. Analysts further note that the project will improve local infrastructure, expand social services, and enhance the economic and social well-being of Daikundi residents.
Since the return of the Islamic Emirate to power, efforts to develop Afghanistan’s mining sector have intensified, with multiple contracts signed in areas including cement, copper, iron, and lapis lazuli, involving both domestic and international companies.
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