A United Nations report released on Wednesday warns of a Taliban that remains close to al Qaeda and poses a severe threat to the government of Afghanistan. The UN Monitoring Team tracks security threats in Afghanistan and showed concerns in the report regarding the removal of the remaining US troops in Afghanistan.
The Taliban and al Qaeda remain closely tied without any indication of breaking ties. Al Qaeda has threatened “war on all fronts” against the US in the past, and the Taliban has attempted to mask their relations to the terrorist network. The violence in Afghanistan is at its highest point in twenty years with security incidents rising over 60% from January to March in 2021. The Taliban is reported to have responsibility for the majority of assassinations and much of the violence in the country. Part of the Taliban leadership does not have any interest in peace talks.
Read more: UN sounds alarm over threat posed by emboldened Taliban, still closely tied to al Qaeda