World must help Afghanistan combat terrorism: Iran

Tehran has warned against the growing number of Takfiri Daesh militants in Afghanistan, calling on the international community to aid Iran’s eastern neighbor in battling terrorism.

Addressing a UN Security Council session on Afghanistan on Wednesday, Gholam-Ali Khoshroo, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, said the unity government in Kabul is currently on the frontline against terrorism and extremism.

Khoshroo said the Daesh-claimed terror attack that killed some 80 people during the July demonstration by Hazara Shias in Kabul is a clear sign of a “growing terrorist threat” in Afghanistan.

“The onus is on the international community to help the Afghan government with its fight against terrorism and extremism as well as the security, political and economic challenges it is grappling with,” the senior Iranian diplomat added.

He said Iran condemns any terror activities by Taliban militants and other extremist groups and stands by Kabul in its efforts to strengthen peace in the war-torn country.

The comments come amid rising concerns that Daesh, which is mainly active in Iraq and Syria, is now seeking to gain a foothold in Afghanistan’s troubled east.

Daesh has reportedly managed to take recruits from Taliban’s splinter groups in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan.

Reports say the Takfiri terrorist group has recruited some 2,500 members in Afghanistan.

The surge in terrorist activities across Afghanistan comes despite the presence of the US and its NATO allies there.

Experts say the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 has failed to bring peace and stability to the war-ravaged country as many parts of it remain plagued by militancy.