Top Afghan Security Official Slams Escalating Taliban Attacks

In a meeting with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, held in Tehran on Tuesday, Mohib said the agreements signed between the US and the Taliban have not reduced the group’s attacks and destructive measures in Afghanistan, but have escalated them.

The Taliban have sought to impose their conditions on the Afghan government and force the central government to back off by taking advantage of their deal with the US, but Kabul has stood against their excessive demands by reasserting its legal and principled policies, Mohib added.

He also lauded Iran for its constructive role in helping the efforts to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan, and gave a report on the process of Afghan peace negotiations.

For his part, Shamkhani warned against the activities of the Daesh terrorist group in Afghanistan, calling for vigilance and collective cooperation to fight off that “cancerous tumor”.

He also lashed out at the US for activities that have aggravated insecurity in the West Asia region over the past year, including the cowardly assassination of top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani.

“By taking a harsh revenge on those who ordered and perpetrated such a historic crime, the Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to prevent a continuation of the terrorist, chaos-creating and anti-security measures by the US and its proxies and to force them to leave the region,” Shamkhani said.

Iran and Afghanistan face common threats and interests in various issues, he added, reiterating Tehran’s firm support for the legitimate government of Kabul and stressing the need for closer interaction in the political, security and economic arenas.

Hamdullah Mohib will hold meetings with a number of other Iranian security and political officials during his one-day stay in Tehran.