Mujahid rejects claims alleging links between Islamic Emirate officials and Al-Qaeda

Mujahid rejects claims alleging links between Islamic Emirate officials and Al-Qaeda

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, has strongly denied claims that members of the administration maintain ties with Al-Qaeda. Responding to media reports on an ongoing analytical project mapping over 1,200 IEA officials by the Middle East Institute, Mujahid issued an audio statement and described the allegations as inaccurate. He also said they were “firmly rejected.” He said the Islamic Emirate has no n…

Report finds dozens of Taliban officials maintain ties with Al Qaeda

At least 55 mid- and senior-level Taliban figures have direct or indirect ties to Al Qaeda, according to a new report by the Middle East Institute, raising renewed questions about the Taliban’s relations with transnational militant networks. The report, updated in April, draws on a database of 1,213 Taliban members and officials mapped through the institute’s “Taliban Leadership Tracker.” It identifies approximately 55 individuals — drawn from t…