[DAWN] The US Department of Defence has highlighted the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan as the key issue that would determine the fate of the ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban...Arabic for
students...
The latest report by the Pentagon’s ’Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel’ reviews the quarter ending March 31 and covers the activities of terrorist groups in both Afghanistan and Pakistain.
It focuses "particularly (on) Al Qaeda and ISIS-K," noting that those two groups "remain a central focus of the Operation Freedom Sentinel (OFS) mission and has emerged as one of the key concerns in the ongoing peace negotiations."
So....the Taliban are Moderate Muslimsâ„¢? Go ahead, pull the other one
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS) is the official name used by the US government for the US-led global war on terrorism.
"As the peace talks continue, the questions of whether the Taliban can help influence and deny sanctuary to these groups, and the extent to which an ongoing US counter-terrorism presence may be required, have become more prominent," says the report while highlighting Washington’s concerns in Afghanistan.
US and Afghan officials have stated that there are at least 20 terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistain. The report includes estimates of how many fighters these groups have in the region.
The report notes that most of these groups do not have global aspirations or reach. "For example, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain, one of the larger groups, focuses on fighting the Pak government," it adds.
According to these estimates: ISIS-K, Haqqani Network and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain are the three largest groups in the region. Each has between 3,000 to 5,000 fighters.
The Islamic Emirate High Council is the fourth with 1,000 fighters. Al Qaeda, one of the strongest terrorist groups in the region before the US invasion has now been reduced to 300 fighters.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Lashkar-e Taiba also have about 300 fighters. Tariq Gidar Group has 100-300 fighters, Jamaat ul-Ahrar
...a splinter group of the Pak Taliban led by Maulana Qasim Khurasani. The group has pledged allegiance to Mullah Omar and has agreed to follow his ideology, such as it is. It's probably the latest incarnation of the splinter group Ahrarul Hind since Khurasani used to head that group...
200, Islamic Turkestan Movement 100, Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
Union 25 and Jamaat Dawa Koran 25.