The Taliban have rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that the Islamic State (IS) has a presence in the north of Afghanistan, reported local media.
On Friday, Putin during a virtual summit with the leaders of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) said that IS is active in the north of Afghanistan.
Officials from the Cultural Commission of the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture said reports about Daesh presence in the north of Afghanistan are not true, reported TOLOnews.
Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the commission, said: "Concerns expressed in this regard are, to some extent, baseless. Daesh has no support from the people in any part of Afghanistan."
Russia's estimate shows that around 2,000 IS fighters are in the north of Afghanistan and they pose threats against CIS states.
"According to our data, the number of IS (Islamic State) members in northern Afghanistan alone is about 2,000 people. Their leaders want to influence the Central Asian states, Russian regions, and they are focused on escalating ethnoreligious conflicts and religious hate. Terrorists seek to enter the territory of the Commonwealth (of Independent States), including under the guise of refugees," TOLOnews quoted Putin as saying.
Emphasizing that CIS states should have interaction with the Taliban, Putin said that they should not be in hurry in recognising them officially.
( With inputs from ANI )
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