Iran’s envoy to the United Nations has warned that terrorist groups are being transferred from Syria to Afghanistan, raising fresh concerns about threats to neighboring countries and regional stability. Addressing a UN Security Council session on Thursday, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said groups including Daesh, al-Qaeda, and foreign fighters continue to destabilize Syria and the wider region.
“We are seriously and deeply alarmed by credible reports indicating the relocation of certain terrorist elements and foreign terrorist fighters from Syria to Afghanistan, which pose a direct threat to Afghanistan’s neighbors and regional stability,” he told the Council.
The Iranian envoy called on UN member states to fully uphold international law in combating terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations.”
The Taliban, however, have repeatedly denied the presence of terrorist organizations inside Afghanistan. But according to a recent UN assessment, the country currently hosts around 2,000 Islamic State fighters and nearly 6,000 members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
