Afghanistan's terrorism noose and borders

As the world grapples with the consequences of the illegal and unjust war imposed on Iran, the US is equally attentive to its interests in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a "State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention" (March 10). "The Taliban continue to use terrorist tactics to seek policy concessions, but it won't work under this administration. The Taliban must release Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained," Rubio said.

Adam Boehler, the Special Envoy for Hostage Response, followed up with a stern warning. "Afghanistan currently holds three innocent Americans. It is time to release them. Or become the next Venezuela/Iran. Good luck with that," read Boehler's post on X.

This was by far the strongest indication that Washington's patience with the Kabul regime has worn thin. "We cannot tolerate any nation holding Americans," said Boehler, who had negotiated and secured the release of an American citizen, Amir Amiri, on September 28 last year.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has confirmed they are holding two US nationals in custody, identified by US officials as Dennis Walter Coyle, an academic, and Polynesis Jackson, a former US soldier. However, he has consistently denied that Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American, is among the foreign prisoners in Afghanistan. Habibi, who was detained by Taliban intelligence agents shortly after a US drone strike killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, is suspected of being involved in the operation. Washington insists that Habibi remains in Taliban custody, and US officials repeatedly demanded that he be set free.

Only a day earlier — on March 9 — a UNSC meeting on Afghanistan witnessed a rare Chinese public criticism of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women and a censure on the presence of various shades of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

"Basic (women's) rights, such as employment, access to healthcare, public services, and participation in social life, have become increasingly restricted," Chinese envoy Fu Cong told the meeting. "This not only harms the physical and mental well-being of Afghan women but also does not contribute to social stability or economic development," the Chinese envoy underscored.

Fu Cong was equally blunt on the terror threats which, according to him, reside in Afghanistan.

"We call on the Afghan side to recognize the grave harm posed by terrorism, strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with regional countries, and resolutely eliminate all terrorist forces operating from Afghan territory," Fu said, referencing UN reports released early February. It spoke of terrorist groups such as ISILK, Al-Qaeda, ETIMP and TTP being active in Afghanistan.

This SC meeting turned out to be a unanimous call for action on the Taliban, with one member after the other underscoring their concerns on human rights as well as on the terror front.

Georgette Gagnon, the UN secretary-general's special deputy representative for Afghanistan, spoke of "the potential threat of terrorism coming from Afghanistan" which remains a critical issue as well as a unifying factor for the international community.

US envoy Mike Waltz told the meeting that Washington's top priority in Afghanistan remains "the protection of US citizens and of the US homeland, which includes mitigating terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan and securing the release of all those unjustly detained ... we must condemn the Taliban for its engagement in hostage diplomacy."

Russia's envoy Vassily Nebenzia highlighted "the persistent presence" of ISIL-Khorasan in Afghanistan as a big concern. "Terrorists are using any excuse, any opportunity, to destabilize the situation in Afghanistan and beyond. ISIL fighters continue to receive external financial support and recruit new members. And it benefits them that the country continues to endure economic challenges ... The situation is also exacerbated by the unclear fate of weapons abandoned by NATO forces."

Pakistan's current stand-off with Afghanistan also stems from the presence of TTP safe havens — also alluded to in the UN report. This led to the closure of the border on October 11 last year, the last extreme non-violent option to nudge Kabul into changing its position on the terrorist groups present on its soil. Consequently, terrorist attacks also declined between October and December last year, largely attributed to Pakistan's multiple kinetic actions — air and drone strikes — against TTP hideouts. Similar strikes during this week on targets at multiple locations, including Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Paktika provinces, drew a strong reaction from the Emirate's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid. Taliban retaliated by carrying out a drone attack in the Kohat cantonment.

But Pakistan continues the hunt for TTP militants. So do the cross-border attacks. As many as 320 lives were lost to terror attacks since January so far (in about 10 weeks) — an uptick of 10% compared to the 291 killed in violence during the last quarter of the previous year after the border was closed down on October 11.

This rise in casualties suggests that, despite the border closure, terrorists managed to sneak into Pakistan for their anti-state agenda. It essentially means terrorists remained unhinged and, despite degradation in their capacity, they have found new leaders and recruited new foot soldiers for missions across the border. Does this mean shutting down the border is really not the answer to terrorism? Probably yes.

Pakistan — together with other nations equally wary of Afghanistan-based terrorist groups — probably needs to devise a different strategy to force the Taliban to take tangible actions against groups responsible for terrorism in neighbouring countries.

Can Yue Xiaoyong, China's Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, achieve what the UNSC spelt out in its proceedings? Also, can the special envoy help in the Pak-Afghan de-escalation? He is currently shuttling between the two countries to "help promote dialogue and reconciliation". An obviously uphill task to nudge the Afghan Taliban from their stated position on the issue of terrorist groups using its soil against neighbouring nations. Is it a moment of action for the Islamic Emirate after the unanimity that UNSC members demonstrated, and particularly the designation as "State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention" by the US?