A number of US media outlets have reported that US General Joe Biden’s nominee for overseeing US forces in the Middle East and Central Asia has raised the possibility of collaborating with the Taliban to defeat ISIS in Afghanistan.
“I personally think there are practical examples of how we can deal with the threat posed by the ISIS Khurasan group,” White House nominee for Central Command General Eric Corella said in response to a question from a senator at hearing meeting.
The remarks came as the United States announced 10 million dolors cash reward for information leading to the capture of Sanaullah Ghafari, the leader of the ISIS in Khurasan branch and those involved in the bloody attack on Kabul airport.
The ISIS Khurasan group has stepped up attacks in Afghanistan in recent months.
Earlier, US intelligence had speculated that the Khurasan branch of ISIS could establish a foothold in Afghanistan and carry out violent attacks.
“After the withdrawal of the Americans, air or air strikes on ISIS and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan are expensive but not impossible,” General Corella said.
Administration of President Joe Biden has repeatedly assured Congress that it is capable of using US military capabilities in the Gulf to attack ISIS and al Qaeda targets.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that two suspected members of the Islamic State group, one of whom had a British passport, were captured by the Taliban last autumn as they tried to enter Afghanistan from the northern border.
The Guardian quoted a Taliban source as saying that the men, carrying more than 10,000 pounds in military uniforms and night-vision goggles, had crossed into Afghanistan from Uzbekistan.
Taliban sources said one had a British passport and the other had a passport from another European country, but Uzbek officials said the two detainees had British passports.
The Khurasan branch of ISIS announced its presence in Afghanistan in 2014, and has fought fierce battles against the Taliban and the former government over the past few years.
In August last year, when the Taliban came to power, the number of ISIS members was estimated at 2200, but the number of militants was said to be 4000.
