The US confirmed on Wednesday that Iran has been providing a safe haven to Al Qaeda’s new chief Saif Al Adel, days after a UN report claimed that Adel is operating from Iran.
US Claim
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing that the US’ assessment aligns with that of the UN. Calling Iran a “destabilising” force in the Middle East, Price noted that “offering safe haven to Al Qaeda is just another example of Iran’s wide-ranging support for terrorism.”
The U.S. should work to get its G7 allies to impose sanctions on #Iran regime entities and individuals providing safe harbor to #AlQaeda after this UN report. There has been no multilateral effort to hold Tehran accountable for this support. 1/2https://t.co/7y94pdeKpz
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) February 14, 2023
Price mentioned that Washington had previously taken action against Tehran for supporting terrorist groups and indicated that similar actions could be on the horizon.
He further stressed that the US will work closely with allies and partners to effectively “take on all of the challenges that Iran poses to our interests.”
UN Report
On Monday, the UN Security Council (UNSC) released a report outlining the global state of terrorism. The report notes that Al Adel became the de-facto leader of Al Qaeda after a US drone strike in Kabul killed his predecessor Ayman Al Zawahiri in July last year.
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Noting that Al Adel is operating out of Iran, the report warned that his location could indicate Al Qaeda’s readiness to reassert its leadership of the global terror movement in light of the challenges posed by ISIS.
Afghanistan Remains Major Terror Hotspot
According to the UNSC, while terrorism remained a major concern across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Afghanistan “remains the primary source of terrorist threat,” especially in Central and South Asia.
The report found that ISIS-Khorasan, Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and several other terrorist groups continue to operate from Afghanistan.
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“These groups enjoy greater freedom of movement in Afghanistan owing to the absence of an effective Taliban security strategy,” the document noted. It warned that ISIS-K is the “primary rival” to the Taliban’s de-factor administration and “its main goal is to portray the Taliban as incapable of providing security in the country.”
Moreover, the report warned that ISIS-K actively seeks to bomb foreign embassies, with the Chinese, Iranian, and Indian missions under greater threat.
US Warning to Taliban
Against this backdrop, the US has warned the Taliban against violating the commitment of ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorists and Afghan territory is not used for terrorist attacks.
Referring to the US drone strike that killed Al Zawahiri in 2022, Ned Price underscored that Washington is “prepared, willing, and able to take action […] if the Taliban is unable or unwilling to fulfill the commitments that it has made.”