Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said that ISIS cannot pose a threat in Afghanistan. He dismissed concerns about the ISIS threat and called it "propaganda and exaggeration”.
Recently, Frank McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander stated that with the US forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, ISIS has strengthened in Afghanistan.
Mujahid told Radio and Television Afghanistan, under Taliban control, on Wednesday that ISIS is not a phenomenon that can cause trouble in Afghanistan. He labeled foreign concerns about the ISIS threat as an exaggeration.
Earlier, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, had stated that ISIS does not have a presence in Afghanistan.
Earlier, McKenzie warned of ISIS' strong desire to attack the United States and other foreign powers. He stated that the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan paved the way for the growth of ISIS' Khorasan branch in the country.
Mark Milley, former US Joint Chief of Staff, also recently warned of ISIS' intention to attack the United States, stating that the country remains ISIS' number one target.
While Taliban officials deny the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan, ISIS Khorasan recently claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kandahar. Over 40 people, mostly Taliban members, had been killed in this attack.
