UNITED NATIONS: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Tali­ban Pakistan (TTP) and other gro­ups affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda are providing Nato-calibre weapons to the militant Islamic State (IS) gro­up — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, acc­ording to a UN report discussed at a Security Council meeting in New York.

Two UN counter-terrorism officials told the Secu­rity Council on Friday that IS and its affiliates, such as TTP, now armed with Nato-calibre wea­pons, continue to pose a serious threat in conflict zones and neighbouring countries.

While the banned TTP has a history of attacking targets inside Pakistan, the militant Islamic State-Khor­asan (IS-K) group has also carried out attacks inside Pakistan recently, including on a JUI-F convention in July that killed 40 people and injured more than 100.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, however, rejected such claims as ‘unfounded.’ In a response posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, he claimed that since the Taliban takeover, “activities of the Daesh group in Afghanistan have been reduced to zero”.

Nato-calibre weapons are being transferred to IS-K, Security Council told

He said that those who were “spreading such undocumented and negative propaganda” about terrorist activities in Afghanistan “either lack information or want to use this propaganda to give a moral boost to Daesh and its cause”.

On Friday, Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT), and Natalia Ghe­rman, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Com­m­i­ttee, briefed the 15-member UN Security Council, after presenting the 17th report of the secretary general on the threat posed by Daesh to international peace and security.

The report claimed that Nato-calibre weapons, typically associated with the former Afghan National Def­ence and Security Forces, were “being transferred to IS-K by groups affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, such as TTP and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

“With the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, (UN) member states expressed concern over the proliferation of large quantities of weapons and other military equipment within Afghanistan and into neighbouring States,” the report added.

“Daesh has [also] created a so-called Industry Committee within its structures to explore new avenues for advancement in weaponry, such as improvised explosive devices and increased payloads for drones.”

Mr Voronkov told the council that the situation in Afghanistan was growing increasingly complex, as fears of weapons and ammunition falling in the hands of terrorists were now materializing.

IS-K’s “in-country operational capabilities” have reportedly increased, with the group “becoming more sophisticated in its attacks against the Taliban and international targets, Mr Voronkov said.

The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee warned that “the presence and activity of some 20 different terrorist groups in Afghanistan, combined with the repressive measures put in place by the Taliban de facto authorities, the absence of sustainable development and a dire humanitarian situation, pose significant challenges for the region and beyond.” Mr Voronkov, however, informed the Security Council that the international community has weakened IS by successfully targeting its finances.

Cash reserves estimated at $25 million to $50m “are now significantly less and diminishing, said the UN report, which also noted sustained attrition to the group’s leadership, including the killing of its chief earlier this year in Syria.

Ms Gherman, Executive Director of Counter-Terrorism Committee, urged member states to bring terrorists to justice, and to demonstrate international cooperation in efforts to do so, she said.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2023