India Warns Afghanistan Remains a Conducive Environment for Terrorist Networks
DID Press: India has warned that terrorist networks continue to operate from Afghanistan, urging the international community to address what it described as environments that allow such groups to operate and receive support.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, also expressed concern over the large-scale return of Afghans, saying about 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025, while another 1.15 million had returned by Aug. 22, 2026. UN figures separately confirm that 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025 and that large-scale returns continued in 2026.
Harish said India remained “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian situation facing returning Afghans and stressed that returns should be voluntary, safe and dignified.
Referring to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Harish said al-Qaeda leaders had subsequently been identified and detained in different locations. He argued that the organization’s “terrorist ecosystem” had developed strategic depth beyond Afghanistan through its affiliates.
Harish further alleged that the conditions that previously enabled al-Qaeda leaders to operate in Afghanistan continue to provide space for certain militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). These are allegations made by the Indian representative; the broader issue of terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan has also been documented in UN reporting. The UN has said groups including ISIL-K, al-Qaeda, ETIM, TTP and BLA remain active in Afghanistan and pose threats to the country and the region.
He called on the international community to work collectively against what he described as continuing terrorist sanctuaries, warning that failure to address them could result in further casualties.
The remarks came as the UN Security Council reviewed the latest situation in Afghanistan. UN officials have similarly highlighted the continued presence of terrorist groups alongside humanitarian, economic and human-rights challenges in the country.