Two top US envoys on Thursday briefed the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the US regarding President Joe Biden’s policy of Afghanistan.

Special envoy Thomas West told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that al -Qaeda’s ability to threaten the United States from Afghanistan or Pakistan is at a low point since the group relocated to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996.

“Al-Qaeda’s low capability is the result of successful counterterrorism action by the United States and its allies over 20 years,” he said. “The Taliban’s sheltering of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a safe house in Kabul was a flagrant violation of their security commitments.”

“Since then,” West said, Washington assesses that the “Taliban have undertaken efforts to fulfill their security commitments with regard to al-Qaeda.”

He also pointed out other “terrorist groups” in Afghanistan, saying that Daesh Khorasan’s capabilities and intent concern Washington the most.

“The Taliban have waged an aggressive campaign against… [Daesh] which has taken out senior attack plotters, including the architect of the August 26, 2021 Abbey Gate attacks, and degraded… [Daesh] external operations capabilities,” he said.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that there is no group in the country that has roots abroad.

“There is no group in Afghanistan which belongs to (entities) abroad. The Islamic Emirate is committed to its pledge to not allow Afghan soil to be used against others,” he said.

He also downplayed the threats posed by Daesh, saying that its threats have dropped to zero.
Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, expressed concerns over increasing restrictions in human rights, freedom of speech and women and girls.

“In the last two years, the human rights situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated severely. Many former government officials, security force members, and those suspected of ties to the resistance face serious risks; members of ethnic and religious minority communities and any who oppose and openly express disagreement with the Taliban’s interpretation of religious law are relentlessly exposed to threats and violence; media freedom has been sharply curtailed, and other vulnerable groups struggle in the face of widespread discrimination and persecution by the Taliban,” she said.

“Restrictions against women and girls have been the most calamitous. The Taliban have systemically targeted Afghan women and girls with more than 50 discriminatory edicts. There is no indication this will subside. They have attempted to erase Afghan women and girls from society, banning women and girls from accessing education beyond the primary level, prohibiting women’s employment in most sectors, restricting their freedom of movement, and effectively removing them from public spaces. Those who raise their voices to protest or resist risk harassment, detention, and violence.”

She said that the US in coordination with our partners and allies, have repeatedly made clear to the “Taliban” that Washington “will not support steps towards normalization unless the rights of Afghan women and girls – and indeed, all Afghans – are respected.”

“Their extreme policies are opposed by Afghans and run counter to international norms,” she said.
Amiri said that they are working with partners including Western countries and Muslim majority countries to form a global effort to support the rights of Afghan women and girls.