Uygur separatist group rebuilds bases in Afghanistan even as China-Taliban ties grow

ETIM is continuing to grow its operations in Afghanistan almost a year after the Taliban vowed it would stamp out terror groups when it returned to power, the UN says

Analysts say even though ETIM, which is aligned with al-Qaeda, has kept a low profile, it remains a ‘ticking time bomb for China’

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Taliban soldiers stand guard near the scene of an operation against Islamic State militants in Kabul on July 7. Photo: EPA/EFE

Published: 8:30am, 28 Jul 2022

The separatist Uygur East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) that China blames for terror attacks in its far-western region of Xinjiang remains in Afghanistan, and is believed to have rebuilt several of its strongholds there, according to analysts and a United Nations Security Council report.

After the Taliban returned to power last year, China pledged support for the leaders while demanding it crack down on ETIM, also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP).

ETIM operates in Afghanistan and Syria and has close ties with a number of militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which analysts say is one of the Taliban’s closest allies.

“Several member states noted that ETIM/TIP is continuing to strengthen its relations with TTP and Jamaat Ansarullah, augmenting its military training on the manufacture and use of improvised explosive devices, focusing on morale and planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Chinese interests in the region when the time is right,” said the UN report on July 15.

Jamaat Ansarullah is a radical Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda.

The group [ETIM] has reportedly rebuilt several strongholds in Badakhshan, according to the UNSC report.

The report added that ETIM had reportedly rebuilt several strongholds in Badakhshan, northeast Afghanistan, and “expanded its area of operations and covertly purchased weapons, with the aim of improving its capabilities for terrorist activities”.