US denies allegations it gave rise to Islamic State in Afghanistan

Afghans including former president Hamid Karzai have alleged that US troops are involved in aiding IS militants

In a first, the United States on Thursday rejected accusations that US troops are aiding Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, reported Voice of America.

Reiterating the country's resolve to aid local forces in the elimination of the terrorist group from Afghanistan, US Ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, rejected accusations that the country was behind the emergence of the militant group.



"Let me take this opportunity, since these rumors continue to circulate, to emphatically state that the United States has not brought Da'ish to Afghanistan. The United States has not ever supported Da'ish, its creation, its horrible attacks in any form, or fashion," said Bass while addressing a news conference in Kabul.

In recent months, Afghans including former president Hamid Karzai along with Russia have alleged that US troops are involved in aiding IS militants.

In an interview to VOA last year, Karzai referred to IS as a 'tool' of the US. Karzai repeated his allegations in India on Thursday while taking part in Raisina Dialogue, a geopolitical conference held in New Delhi.

Saying that the US had to explain the rise of IS and extremism in Afghanistan, he further alleged that "some of Afghanistan's problems are foreign. Extremism is the product of US-Pakistan cooperation, and Afghanistan has to face implications."



The US ambassador said there was "absolutely no way" to reconcile with IS in Afghanistan.

"The only way to deal with Da'ish is through sustained determined efforts on the battlefield to either kill them or capture them and to remove them to prevent them from being able to conduct attacks," said Bass.

Bass further said that was the approach US and other coalition members undertook in Syria and Iraq while fighting IS in those regions.

 

This story originally appeared on Voice of America