UN official warns Al-Qaeda continues to be a serious threat to Afghan peace process

A senior United Nations official on Friday, November 13 said that Al-Qaeda continues to pose a serious threat to the ongoing Afghan peace process over its close ties with the Taliban. Edmund Fitton-Brown, the coordinator of the UN monitoring team for Al-Qaeda, said that the terrorist organisation represents a serious threat to the peace process and will continue to do so unless controlled in some way. 

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'Al-Qaeda's ties with the Taliban continues'

Fitton-Brown, while speaking to Tolo News, said the organisation will continue to pose a threat to the peace process, which is based on conditions, including that the Taliban must prevent threats emerging from outside the country, such as from Al-Qaeda and others. Fitton-Brown said that Al-Qaeda continues to maintain deep ties with the Taliban and the Haqqani network. Fitton-Brown said that the Taliban has close relations with Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri despite assuring contrary to the United States.  

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However, the Taliban, which recently reached an agreement with the United States, denies having any ties with Al-Qaeda. Taliban and the United States signed a historic peace deal in February this year, agreeing to end the 20-year-long war. The deal also requires the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government on the power-sharing equation in the country. Taliban and the Afghan government entered talks in line with the agreement, but violence in the country did not see any reduction and continued to rise at the same pace. 

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The country recently witnessed several attacks on educational institutes, which were claimed by the Islamic State. Three gunmen stormed the campus of Kabul University on November 2, killing 22 people and injuring several others. Several skirmishes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban have also taken place since the beginning of the peace process.

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(Image Credit: AP)