Taliban Rejects Possibility Of US Help To Fight ISIS-K

Authored by Dave DeCamp Via AntiWar.com,

On Friday, a Taliban official said the group doesn’t need help from the US or any other countries to fight terrorism in Afghanistan.

“We are fully ready to ensure the security of the country on our own,” said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, according to TOLO News. “We don’t need the US or other countries’ support in this respect.”

Samangani’s comments came after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said it was “possible” the US could cooperate with the Taliban in the future against Afghanistan’s ISIS affiliate, known as ISIS-K. The US has previously provided air support for the Taliban against ISIS-K.

After the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, the US carried out two airstrikes in Afghanistan against targets they claimed were ISIS-K, but one of the strikes killed 10 civilians. The US claims the other strike killed “ISIS-K planners,” but no names or any other details have been released.

These airstrikes were launched from outside of Afghanistan, which means they can continue, and Biden has threatened to launch more.

REPORTER: “Is there any possibility of coordination against ISIS-K with [the Taliban]?”

GEN. MILLEY: “It’s possible.” pic.twitter.com/QBgj5O4bLD

— T. Grant Benson |  (@GrantB911) September 1, 2021

But without the cooperation of the Taliban, more airstrikes would violate the sovereignty of the new Afghan government. So further airstrikes are dependent on how the US chooses to engage the Taliban-led government.