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Middle East and North Africa

Taliban maintains ties with international terrorists, says Afghan top diplomat

According to Haneef Atmar, over 10,000 gunmen of foreign terrorist organizations are fighting side by side against the Afghan government and the country’s armed forces

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. The Taliban militant group (outlawed in Russia) has never ceased ties with international terrorist organizations, Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar said in a live broadcast of the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Thursday.

"All those who believe that the Taliban will rupture ties with international terrorism make a big mistake. The Taliban group earlier conducted a war jointly with international terrorists both against Afghanistan and Europeans, Americans, Russia and others," he pointed out.

"And now this threat persists. They have not ceased their ties with other terrorist organizations," he added.

Currently, over 10,000 gunmen of foreign terrorist organizations are fighting side by side against the Afghan government and the country’s armed forces, Atmar said, adding that there were Uighurs, Pakistanis, Uzbeks and representatives of other Central Asian states in their ranks.

"It is interesting to note what the Taliban promises to these groups: if they help it in the fight against the Afghan government now, it [the Taliban] will eventually help them in the struggle against the governments of the states these international terrorists come from," the Afghan foreign minister added.

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