Foreign terrorists and their growing role in undermining internal and cross-border security

The active presence and active participation of a large number of citizens of Tajikistan and Pakistan in terrorist attacks on religious places in Afghanistan, if it is true as stated by Mullah Yaqoob, the Minister of Defense of the caretaker/de facto government, is a good indication that terrorist groups are entering the country from the borders have infiltrated the country and are planning to increase the scope of their activities in Afghanistan.

Until now, the presence of people affiliated with the Ansarullah group, an opponent of the Tajikistan government, has been reported many times in northern Afghanistan. Several cases of border conflicts in which the intention of members of this group to enter Tajikistan from Afghanistan have been reflected in the media, and some of these cases have also happened during the rule of the current caretaker government. The claim of the presence of Ansarullah member, which is sometimes called as Tajikistan Taliban, existed even during the rule of the republican system, and the Tajikistan government had also reported the death of the leader of this group in the north of the country.

The widespread presence of Pakistani Taliban forces and their involvement in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan’s territory has been claimed many times by the government of Pakistan, and this has caused increasing tensions in Kabul-Islamabad relations.

Therefore, if we put all the published reports together with what was stated by the Acting Ministry of Defense, the result is that with the fall of Republican government and the establishment of the Acting Government, the terrorist groups that carry out destructive activities on both sides of the country’s borders have had, not only limited and not stopped but may also go through the expanding process. Mullah Yaqoub’s statements are made while the political and security officials of the current Afghan government have always mentioned the non-activity of foreign terrorist groups inside the country and insist on it.

Meanwhile, the concern of the countries in the region and the neighboring governments due to the expanding activity of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the increase of their sphere of influence outside the borders can be considered a real issue and a serious threat to the security of those countries.

If we ignore the cross-border effects of foreign terrorists and look at it from another angle, the future perspective of Afghanistan’s internal security is not clear with the presence of members of foreign terrorist groups, and threats from this area can be imagined. The role and involvement of the citizens of Tajikistan and Pakistan, which has been confirmed in terrorist attacks on religious places, widens these concerns and shows that the country’s internal security is under threat.

Afghanistan’s political relations and relations with its neighbors, the region and the world are undoubtedly dependent on the expansion or elimination of the presence and activities of these groups inside or in the border areas of Afghanistan. It means that to the extent that foreign terrorist groups expand their sphere of influence inside and across the borders of the country, the security threats will be more to the neighbors, and as a result, they accuse Afghanistan of not curbing terrorism and political and economic relations. They make their relations with the country more limited. On the contrary, the extent that Afghanistan’s success in curbing terrorism and preventing the activities of subversive groups inside and outside the country is limited and towards destruction, the level of trust of the countries in the region and the world on Afghanistan has gone up and make them convinced to increase their circle of relations.

Therefore, the attitude and performance of the current caretaker government in dealing with terrorist groups that are said to have influence inside the country and organize attacks, plays an important role in its international legitimacy and has a clear impact on the future destiny of the country.

Therefore, the possibility of increasing the role of foreign terrorists in Afghanistan and the threat that this area poses to the internal and external security of Afghanistan should be taken seriously and preventive measures should be implemented so that Afghanistan is not known as a nest of terrorists.