NEW DELHI — Firmly repudiating terror outfit ISIS-K and its activities in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said there can be no justification for any group to kill innocent people in the name of Islam.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Zabiullah Mujahid denounced the suicide bombing at the Kabul international airport on Thursday which killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US service members. The ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
“There is no excuse for any group in the name of Islam to carry out any attack or kill the people or make the war last. The people of Afghanistan, as a nation, have the right to live a peaceful life, and we will work hard in this regard,” he said.
Asked how the ISIS-K suicide bomber managed to evade Taliban checkpoints and patrolmen to reach the perimeter of the Kabul airport, Zabiullah Mujahid claimed it was not a security slip-up on their part and the US military is in charge of the area where the attack took place.
“We are very sensitive about security, but the Kabul airport has created an exceptional situation because of a lack of crowd control… the area where the explosion took place is not ours, it’s the Americans’, who have a duty to provide security there,” he explained, adding that the Taliban is conducting an investigation into the incident to uncover all the facts.
Zabiullah Mujahid denied reports of collusion between Taliban leadership and Masood Azhar, chief of proscribed militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad. According to sources, Masood Azhar had met with Taliban leaders in Kandahar earlier this month and sought their help to foment unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The rumours are not true and we reject it,” said Mujahid. “We can say with certainty that the Taliban does not allow any other country to be endangered from our country. We assure India and other countries that our side will not be a threat to them.”
Panjshir is the only Afghanistan province that has not yet fallen to the Taliban. But in recent days, the insurgent group has been amassing its forces in the region, even as talks are underway with the leaders of the resistance to find an amicable solution.
Without giving too much away, Zabiullah Mujahid stated that the negotiations are still ongoing and he is hopeful that the matter can be resolved through dialogue.
“The latest update is that the talks are still ongoing and both sides have returned to their own companions to reach a final decision. We want the war to end and no war to be fought anywhere, unless we are forced to do so, and the ways of negotiation and communication are not blocked,” said Mujahid. — (India Today)