Iran accuses US of using Daesh to destablize Afghanistan

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has accused Washington of using ISIS (Daesh) to create insecurity and a rift among religious and ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

Addressing an open session of parliament in Tehran on Sunday, Qalibaf said the US is using Daesh to create insecurity in Afghanistan in order to create ethnic-religious sedition in Afghanistan and to put pressure on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government to yield to its demands, Fars News Agency reported.

He said the IEA government is responsible for the establishment of security and stability in the country.

This comes after a string of bombings targeting mosques and civilians across the country in the past few weeks. Dozens of people have been killed and wounded in these attacks.

Tasnim news agency meanwhile reported that Qalibaf also stated that the IEA had failed to provide security and that he called the creation of an inclusive government with representatives of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan a fundamental need to succeed in ensuring lasting security in the country.

Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed concern about Daesh’s activities in Afghanistan, but the IEA has stated it has all but eliminated the terrorist group.

However, ISIS in Afghanistan – also known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) and Daesh – has claimed responsibility for four of the seven recent major attacks, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist groups.