ISIS threatening attacks on Indian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan: UN on Khorasan terror offshoot

ISIS terrorist group's Khorasan offshoot has threatened terrorist attacks against embassies of India in Afghanistan, a report by United Nations Secretary-General has warned. Terrorists of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) have also threatened attacks on embassies of China and Iran in Afghanistan.

The objective of the attacks is to undermine the relationship between the Taliban and UN member-states in the region, the report said. ISIL-K is positioning itself as the "primary rival" to Taliban, and wants to portray Taliban as incapable of providing security in the region, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned.

In June last year, India resumed its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a technical team in its embassy in the Afghan capital, over 10 months after it pulled out its officials from the mission following the Taliban's capture of power. The reopening of the embassy took place after an Indian team led by senior Ministry of External Affairs official J.P. Singh had visited Kabul and met acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and some other members of the Taliban dispensation.

The report of the Secretary-General further added that an attack in September last year on the Russian Embassy in Kabul was the first against a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan since the takeover by the Taliban. In December, ISIL-K claimed attacks against the Embassy of Pakistan and a hotel frequented by Chinese nationals.

“Apart from high-profile attacks, ISIL-K conducted near-daily attacks targeting Shia minorities, which also served to undermine the Taliban’s authority and challenge their nascent security agencies,” the report said.

(With PTI inputs)

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