Taliban launch 'operation' to weed out IS terrorists from Afghanistan: Report

Weeks after forming an interim government in Afghanistan, the Taliban have initiated an operation to eradicate Islamic State (IS) terrorists from the war-ravaged country. The Taliban have decided to retaliate against the Islamic State's local branch in Kabul and Nangarhar, which is close to Pakistan's border, reported Sputnik citing the Khaama Press. The operation comes after two weeks of carnage in Nangarhar's capital, Jalalabad.

Several Taliban combatants and civilians were killed in at least three gun and bomb attacks on Taliban positions. Two convoys of cars transporting Taliban fighters were targeted by the explosions on September 17. The convoys were travelling from Jalalabad to Kabul. Islamic State, which operated out of Nangarhar for years, also claimed the responsibility for an attack on Kabul airport on August 26, that killed over 100 people, including 13 US soldiers.

Days after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) warned that Al-Qaeda may return in Afghanistan, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated the same in his first congressional hearing on the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. "The Taliban still hasn't broken links with Al-Qaida," General Milley stated, according to The Associated Press (AP). He also anticipated that Al-Qaida and the Taliban might work together to create a terror threat for the United States in future. It should be mentioned here that the militant Sunni Islamist multi-national terrorist organisation that struck the US on September 11, 2001, planned and executed the strike from Afghanistan. Following that, the US invaded the war-torn country in October, causing the Taliban-ruled government to collapse in 2001.

PM Modi urges world to ensure Afghan soil is not used for terrorism

On September 25, Speaking at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the world to must ensure that Afghanistan's land is not utilised as a launchpad for terror-related activities. He also stated that the Afghan people, particularly women, children, and minorities, require assistance and that the world must fulfil its obligation. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 28, the Taliban stated that they would adopt the 'historic constitution' framed during the era of Muhammad Zahir Shah, who ruled Afghanistan from 1963 to 1973. The hardline group, however, stated that the adoption of the 1964 law book would be temporary and that the newer edition will be adopted after it was authorised by Taliban high authorities, according to Khaama Press. 

Image: ANI/AP/Representative