Taliban has associations with ISIS: President Saleh

Kabul: Amrullah Saleh, the self-proclaimed "caretaker" president of Afghanistan on Friday claimed that the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) has associations with the Taliban and the Haqqani network, especially in Kabul, as per a report by ANI.

In his tweet on Friday, Saleh lashed out at the Taliban, which had denied any links with ISIS. He said that their denial is no different from Pakistan's on Quetta Shura. Every piece of evidence points to their relations, and "Taliban had learned very well from the master," he said.

Earlier, Saleh had blamed Pakistan for setting up an environment for terrorists and agencies who supply arms or explosive materials to the Taliban, aiming to create chaos in Afghanistan. He had alleged that the Quetta Shura was a title for the Pak military to implement their plans for Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the blasts outside Kabul airport on Thursday, one at Abbey gate and another near Baron Hotel. The group said that the attack killed and wounded 160 people. It aired the photo of a man, who the group claimed was a suicide bomber, on its Amaq News Agency.

The New York Times reported that at least 30 to 60 were dead and 130 to 140 wounded, according to Afghan health officials. But a Taliban spokesperson said that 13 were killed while 60 were injured.

US President Joe Biden said that leaders of the IS-K are behind the attacks. He added that IS-K had planned complex attacks against the US forces and others in Afghanistan after being released from prisons during the Taliban's takeover of the country.