ISLAMABAD: Jihad and a shared history link the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Although the Taliban had promised Washington during months of negotiations that the U.S. will never again be attacked from Afghan soil, there’s no evidence of break-in relations between the long-time allied militant groups.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the Taliban agreed to cut ties with al-Qaida as part of peace negotiations, which President Donald Trump abruptly called off last week.
The al-Qaida leadership still vows allegiance to Taliban chief Maulvi Hibatullah Akhunzada, and al-Qaida has been growing stronger in recent years, according to analysts and experts.
The group has overcome setbacks from the establishment of a rival Islamic State affiliate in eastern Afghanistan and from U.S. drone strikes that had reduced its numbers.
(Agencies)
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