Taliban denies sharing IS intel with Russia

Afghanistan’s Taliban group has officially denied any negotiations or exchange of information with Russia to fight the spread of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Afghanistan, reports Al Jazeera. The group dismissed the claims on Friday, saying they “don’t need anyone’s support to fight and eliminate the presence of ISIL”. “We are having talks, but not about fighting ISIL. We want foreign forces out of our country, that is what we are talking about at the moment,” a Taliban spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “They [ISIL fighters] are a small bunch based only in Nangarhar (province) and are not a big or a strong group that we would be threatened with.” The Taliban has a history of denying claims that could harm the perception of their strength or standing. Zamir Kabulov, official at the Russian foreign ministry and President Vladimir Putin’s special representative for Afghanistan, said earlier this week that “the Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours”. “I have already said earlier that we and the Taliban have channels for exchanging information,” he said in remarks carried by Russian media. Earlier, a Taliban breakaway faction condemned the Russian-Taliban “shared interest” in fighting ISIL in Afghanistan.

Taliban denies sharing IS intel with Russia

Afghanistans Taliban group has officially denied any negotiations or exchange of information with Russia to fight the spread of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Afghanistan, reports Al Jazeera. The group dismissed the claims on Friday, saying they dont need anyones support to fight and eliminate the presence of ISIL. We are having talks, but not about fighting ISIL. We want foreign forces out of our country, that is what we are talking about at the moment, a Taliban spokesperson told Al Jazeera. They [ISIL fighters] are a small bunch based only in Nangarhar (province) and are not a big or a strong group that we would be threatened with. The Taliban has a history of denying claims that could harm the perception of their strength or standing. Zamir Kabulov, official at the Russian foreign ministry and President Vladimir Putins special representative for Afghanistan, said earlier this week that the Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours. I have already said earlier that we and the Taliban have channels for exchanging information, he said in remarks carried by Russian media. Earlier, a Taliban breakaway faction condemned the Russian-Taliban shared interest in fighting ISIL in Afghanistan.