KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali has rejected a recent figure issued by Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan, who said there are more than 10,000 Daesh (Islamic State) fighters in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported.
“We confirm the presence of up to 2,000 Daesh fighters in Afghanistan,” Yaftali told lawmakers in the Wolesi Jirga, Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, on December 25.
Afghan Minister of Interior Affairs Wais Ahmad Barmak said those operating under Daesh label in Afghanistan are not the fighters coming from Iraq and Syria, but it is a group which has been created by the intelligence agencies of regional countries.
“Daesh is not a trend which comes from Iraq or Syria. Findings show that Daesh is one of the forces which have been created by the intelligence services of the regional countries,” Barmak told MPs.
Kabulov recently said there are more than 10,000 Daesh fighters in Afghanistan.
“Russia was among the first to be sounding the alarms in connection with the emergence of Daesh in Afghanistan…. Daesh has significantly increased its power in the country recently. According to our estimates, the number of militants exceeds 10,000 and continues to grow, particularly due to new fighters arriving from Syria and Iraq,” Kabulov said.
Kabulov also alleged that helicopters “without identifying insignia” are transferring fighters and delivering “Western [military] equipment” to the Afghan branch of the terrorist group.
