Kabul rejects US Congress' claims about foreign terror groups in Afghanistan

The interim Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan on Friday rejected US congressional claims that foreign terrorist groups are operating within the country, saying Kabul has complete control over its territory.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Afghanistan "strongly rejects the claim made by the US House of Representatives suggesting that foreign groups are present in Afghanistan or that any threat emanates from its territory."

The remarks came after US lawmaker Bill Huizenga, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, said Afghanistan "has once again become a hotbed for terrorists looking for safe harbor as they grow their ranks and abilities to project attacks across the region and, frankly, the world."

Huizenga made the comments Thursday during a congressional hearing on terror threats in South and Central Asia.

Mujahid dismissed the allegations, insisting the Taliban maintains authority across the country.

"Afghanistan has a unified and strong government with full control over the entire geography of the country and does not allow anyone to use its territory against any party," he said.

The claims come as Afghanistan faces an economic crisis exacerbated by nearly $7 billion in Afghan foreign assets frozen by Washington following the withdrawal of US and allied forces almost four years ago.

Speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul last weekend, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi criticized the sanctions and urged Muslim countries to push for the release of frozen central bank reserves.

Muttaqi called on the OIC to "ensure the unconditional and immediate release of Afghanistan's frozen central bank reserves," which he described as unlawfully withheld by Western nations.

The Taliban seized power in August 2021 but has yet to be formally recognized by any UN member state. A few countries, including China, have accepted Taliban-appointed ambassadors, and Beijing sent its envoy to Kabul in September 2023.