Taliban deny Al-Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan, reiterate 'no haven for terrorists' pledge; what's the truth?

Mujahid also denied the ISIS presence in the country though he said it "invisibly carries out some cowardly attacks".

"The ISIS that exists in Iraq and Syria does not exist here. Still, some people who may be our own Afghans have adopted the ISIS mentality, which is a phenomenon that the people do not support," he said.

After the US troops left Kabul, Al-Qaeda's senior leadership had released a congratulatory statement, hailing "Taliban's victory" in the war-ravaged country. But along with the congratulatory message, were calls for a renewed “jihad” in order to free other Islamic lands from oppression. Al-Qaeda in particular named Kashmir, Palestine, Yemen and other “Islamic lands.”

"It is time for you to prepare for the next stage of the struggle, the way for which has been paved by the victory of the defiant Afghan nation," Al Qaeda said.

Some reports also stated that Al Qaeda had joined the Taliban in the group's offensive in the Panjshir valley.

According to a recent UN monitoring report, a significant part of the leadership of Al-Qaida resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region. “Al-Qaida and like-minded militants continue to celebrate developments in Afghanistan as a victory for the Taliban and thus for global radicalism,” the report said.

Many of the Al-Qaeda members were trained in the same schools as the Taliban. Taliban government's interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the leader of the dreaded Haqqani Network that maintains close connections with Al-Qaeda.

The Taliban were ousted from power by US-led forces in 2001 for refusing to hand over Al-Qaeda leaders responsible for the September 11 attacks to the US.

Governments around the world have warned the Taliban not to repeat its harsh policies during its previous rule, asking the outfit to put in place an inclusive political framework wedded to moderate policies.

As a result, Taliban spokespersons have been very careful to reiterate time and again that Afghanistan, under the group, would not be a base of operations for terrorist organisations.

However, The United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying formal recognition of the new government, and the resultant flow of economic aid, was contingent on the action.

The Taliban has requested China and Russia for their support for efforts for the unfreezing of foreign reserves. The US has frozen around USD 9.5 billion foreign reserves of Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul.

The Taliban’s return to power in August has also drawn concerns on the status of women in the new regime. United Nations’ Human Rights Chief recently criticised the Taliban’s record since seizing power, saying stated commitments did not match realities on the ground such as the status of women.

The UN wants the outfit to guarantee human rights, allow girls to return to schools and women to go to work.