UN team’s report on al-qaeda link baseless: Taliban

to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol

KABUL: Taliban on Friday rejected the UN monitoring team’s report that the group is closely aligned with al-qaeda and has no indication of breaking ties.

“We reject this report. Regrettably, it is compiled from false information provided by enemy circles and has exploited the position of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),” the Taliban spokesperson said.

Pinning the blame on the UN, the terrorist group said, “Release of such partisan reports calls into question the impartiality of UNSC and damages its international credibility.”

This statement comes after the findings on the status of Taliban-controlled and contested districts were presented by the analytical support and sanctions monitoring team. The report issued on June 1, said that a significant section of the leadership of al-qaeda resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region.

According to UN member states, “Al-qaeda maintains contact with the Taliban but has minimised overt communications with Taliban leadership in an effort to “lay low” and not jeopardise the Taliban’s diplomatic position vis-a-vis the Doha agreement.”

China-led dialogue calls for resolution of conflict

The key to resolving Afghanistan’s conflict lies in an “Afghanled and Afghan-owned” solution with a government in Kabul, which is neutral, follows moderate policies and firmly fights against terrorism.

These were among the consensus reached at the fourth Beijing-led dialogue of the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, Afghan foreign minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi attended the dialogue via video link on Thursday.