Afghan Taliban to attend crisis group’s conference in Qatar

It’s not clearly known how many operatives the group has.

“We now characterize them as operationally emergent …”

The arid, semi-desert southern region is a major center of opium cultivation where the Taliban have stepped up pressure on security forces since the withdrawal of worldwide troops from combat previous year. “Thus victory – by Allah’s grace – was for the Wilāyah”, it continues.

A 2014 study by Altai Consulting found that 175 radio and 75 television stations had been set up since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, who ran the country from 1996-2001.

At a news briefing at the US State Department, deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said the US “welcomes Pakistan’s involvement and support for this process” and stressed the US belief “that’s ultimately what’s going to … end this ongoing conflict in Afghanistan”. It consists of former members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban and past year pledged allegiance to Daesh. “We’re not seeing Daesh elements in Iraq or Syria orchestrating events here in Afghanistan”, he told reporters, using an Arabic term for ISIS.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, Pakistan the United States and China Monday held its second meeting in Kabul called on all Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government.

On the future, Lamb says that Barack Obama, who had maintained Afghanistan was a “good war” as opposed to Iraq, did change his mind after becoming president, but his policy was “of hope, and no experience” and the use of drones was “to cover an absence of policy”.

“I’m sure there are folks who have come from Syria and Iraq – I couldn’t tell you how many but there are indications of some foreign fighters coming in there”, he told The Associated Press (AP) last month.

National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the terrorists were arrested during a special operation from Hussain Khel village of Bagrami district in Kabul province. It grows large quantities of opium, used to produce most of the world’s heroin.

“We are searching for the husband and want to find out what made him take such action”, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP, rejecting local media reports that Khan had joined the militant group.

ISIS concedes that it has not conquered territory in the Khorasan region on the same level as in Iraq and Syria.