Afghan President: ’We Will Bury ’ISIS’’

Local Editor

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised to "bury" "ISIS" militant group, whose local offshoot clashed with government forces and Taliban insurgents.

In a BBC interview, Ghani stressed that "ISIS" was "not an Afghan phenomenon" and its atrocities "alienated the people."

He also called for anti-"ISIS" action at both regional and international level.

"A lot of my diplomacy has been made to create the regional consensus, and a region with the inheritance of previous animosities and short-sighted behavior is something that is going to require effort and focus."

Meanwhile, Afghan security forces struggled to contain militant groups in the country; in December, the Taliban militant group seized much of the strategic town of Sangin, and in September they briefly overran the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.

However, Taliban's rivalry with "ISIS" for dominance also limited the latter's influence in the region. The Taliban claimed they set up a "special forces" unit with more than 1,000 fighters that aims to crush "ISIS."

In further comments, Ghani warned that if "peace talks" with the Taliban did not start by April, the conflict would intensify, with consequences across the region.

In parallel, Ghani noted that observers should understand that the war in his country was "just one component" of a wider war that also encompassed Pakistan.

"The problems... are interrelated and cannot be solved by use of force in one country," he said, suggesting that Pakistan should take action against Taliban groups that did not agree to talks.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team