Taliban ‘won’t allow’ terrorists to thrive, but China’s concerns remain
- The militant group’s spokesman reportedly says many East Turkestan Islamic Movement members have left Afghanistan
- But the claim is unverified and may mean those members continue to operate elsewhere, Chinese expert says
But a Chinese diplomatic expert cast doubt on the reported claim by Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, saying it could not be verified and that members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) may have moved to other nations to continue their activities.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China was aware of the Taliban’s pledge.
“We hope the Afghan Taliban will stick to what it has promised, to completely cut off ties with groups such as ETIM and take forceful measures against terrorism in the country,” Zhao said on Friday.
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Taliban courts China with eye on development projects in Afghanistan
Shaheen was reported by Chinese nationalistic tabloid Global Times to have said that many members of ETIM had left Afghanistan after being told the country could not be a base for terrorists – although the newspaper did not specify what he said about those leaving.
