Afghanistan may become terrorist safe haven, India tells UN

New York: India has raised concerns that terror groups include Al Qaeda, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) could find safe haven under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, at a meeting of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee.

The meeting, chaired by India's representative to the UN and head of the Committee T.S Trimurti was held on the third anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack.

The Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan also poses a "complex security threat outside the region, particularly in parts of Africa, where terrorist groups may try to emulate the Taliban's example," Tirumurti said during his address.

"The linkages between the Taliban, Al-Qaida, and terrorist entities proscribed by the Security Council, such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, are a further source of concern. And therefore, serious concern remains that Afghanistan may become a safe haven for Al-Qaida and a number of terrorist groups in the region," Tirumurti said.

During his opening address, the Indian representative also noted that the collapse of the previous government and the resultant chaos, humanitarian crisis and prevailing uncertainty had promoted huge change in the geopolitics of the region. Terror groups like the Haqqani network and others were linked to each other by ideology he pointed out.

Tirumurti said the terrorist threat to countries in South and Southeast Asia remains high and Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other UN-designated terror groups have continued to target civilians and the military. Since their defeat in the Middle East, Islamic State and al-Qaeda have been seeking to establish a foothold in South and Southeast Asia, he added.

He raised the issue of use of technology like blockchain and deep fakes for terrorist purposes as well as the use of drones to transport drugs and arms across borders and even participating in terror attacks. He also listed out regions in Asia which have witnessed a string of deadly terror attacks since mid-2018, including a suicide attack by JeM at Pulwama on February 14, 2019, that killed 40 Indian security personnel and the series of attacks in Sri Lanka during Easter in April 2019.

The committee, which comprises the 15 Security Council members, was established in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US. The committee works to counter terror activities around the world, including steps to criminalise the financing of terrorism, as well as preventing safe havens operating for terrorists.