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Report: Pakistan ‘Did Not Restrict’ Afghan Taliban in Its Borders

A US State Department report on terrorism for 2018 says that Daesh and al-Qaida and al-Qaida affiliates remained active, but Afghanistan security forces –with NATO’s Resolute Support Mission—“took aggressive action” against terrorist groups.

It mentions that although al-Qaida was seriously degraded globally after 2001, the group’s remnants continue to operate from remote locations in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, which historically have been exploited as safe havens.

According to the report, al-Qaida global network includes remnants of the group’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as al-Nusrah Front in Syria.

Afghanistan continued to experience aggressive and coordinated attacks by the regional Daesh branch, the Afghan Taliban, and the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, the report said.

It also mentions that Daesh, elements of al-Qaida, and terrorist groups targeting Pakistan, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continued to use the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as a safe haven. 

Regionally focused terrorist groups also remained a threat in 2018. For example, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba – which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks – and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) maintained the capability and intent to attack Indian and Afghan targets, according to the report. 

According to the report, Pakistan – which has often pledged to support the peace effort and counter-terrorism campaign with the Afghan government – did not did not take sufficient action against externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in that country.

It also mentions that the Pakistani government pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban but did not restrict the Taliban or Haqqani network from operating in Pakistan and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

The report mentions that Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2018, including support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East. 

It says that Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to provide support to terrorist organizations, provide cover for associated covert operations, and create instability in the region. Iran has acknowledged the involvement of the IRGC-QF in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

Report: Pakistan ‘Did Not Restrict’ Afghan Taliban in Its Borders

The US State Department report says al-Qaida and its regional affiliates remain resilient and pose an enduring threat to the US and its allies.

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A US State Department report on terrorism for 2018 says that Daesh and al-Qaida and al-Qaida affiliates remained active, but Afghanistan security forces –with NATO’s Resolute Support Mission—“took aggressive action” against terrorist groups.

It mentions that although al-Qaida was seriously degraded globally after 2001, the group’s remnants continue to operate from remote locations in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, which historically have been exploited as safe havens.

According to the report, al-Qaida global network includes remnants of the group’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as al-Nusrah Front in Syria.

Afghanistan continued to experience aggressive and coordinated attacks by the regional Daesh branch, the Afghan Taliban, and the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, the report said.

It also mentions that Daesh, elements of al-Qaida, and terrorist groups targeting Pakistan, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continued to use the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as a safe haven. 

Regionally focused terrorist groups also remained a threat in 2018. For example, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba – which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks – and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) maintained the capability and intent to attack Indian and Afghan targets, according to the report. 

According to the report, Pakistan – which has often pledged to support the peace effort and counter-terrorism campaign with the Afghan government – did not did not take sufficient action against externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in that country.

It also mentions that the Pakistani government pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban but did not restrict the Taliban or Haqqani network from operating in Pakistan and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

The report mentions that Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2018, including support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East. 

It says that Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to provide support to terrorist organizations, provide cover for associated covert operations, and create instability in the region. Iran has acknowledged the involvement of the IRGC-QF in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

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