UNSC Afghanistan: Vote on Resolution on Recent Developments

When the UN Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiating a draft resolution, the text is printed in blue. What's In Blue is a series of insights on evolving Security Council actions designed to help interested UN readers keep up with what might soon be "in blue".  

Here is a copy in full from What's In Blue Monday 30 August 2021 entitled 'Afghanistan: Vote on Resolution on Recent Developments':

This afternoon (30 August), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution regarding recent developments in Afghanistan. France, the UK and the US proposed the resolution and circulated a first draft to the Council on 27 August. Council members exchanged written comments on 28 August, and a draft of the resolution was then placed under silence until yesterday (29 August) morning. Silence was broken by China and Russia. Following further negotiations among the permanent members of the Council, an amended draft was put in blue by the US last night (29 August).

The negotiations on the draft text in blue were informed by recent momentous events in Afghanistan. The Taliban entered Kabul and took power on 15 August, following a military offensive that swiftly gained momentum in the aftermath of the US government’s announcement that it would begin withdrawing troops on 1 May. Reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, particularly against women and girls, were reported during the Taliban’s offensive. In the second half of August, tens of thousands of Afghan nationals and foreign citizens have been evacuated from the country through Kabul airport, and the US has declared that it will finalise its evacuation from Afghanistan by 31 August. On 26 August, two suicide bombers affiliated with the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-KP) detonated explosives outside Kabul airport, killing 170 people, including scores of Afghan civilians and 13 US soldiers, and wounding at least 200 others.

The draft resolution in blue condemns the 26 August attack near Kabul airport and demands that Afghan territory not be used to attack any country or shelter terrorists. It asks for strengthened efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and calls on all parties to allow unhindered access for humanitarian actors. In relation to the evacuations from Afghanistan, it notes the Taliban’s 27 August statement in which it committed to allowing Afghans to travel abroad via any border crossing, including at Kabul airport. The draft references the dangerous security situation around Kabul airport and expresses concern regarding intelligence which indicates further terrorist attacks may take place nearby. It also calls on relevant parties to work with international partners to strengthen security near Kabul airport and requests that every effort be made to allow for its rapid and secure reopening. The draft in blue further underlines that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, reaffirms the importance of upholding human rights, and calls on the parties to seek a negotiated political settlement.

China and Russia broke silence yesterday (29 August) on an earlier iteration of the text and expressed concerns that the draft focused too closely on the Taliban. It seems that these concerns were addressed by removing language that expressed the Council’s intent to monitor the Taliban’s actions, particularly their respect for human rights. A reference to the Taliban’s condemnation of the 26 August attack near Kabul airport was added to the draft. It appears that language which noted that the Taliban will be held accountable for their commitments regarding Afghans travelling abroad and language that called on the Taliban to refrain from further activities that threaten the peace, stability, and security of Afghanistan was also not retained in the draft resolution in blue.

An operative paragraph regarding humanitarian assistance apparently originally demanded that the Taliban allow unhindered access. However, the reference to the Taliban was removed from the draft in blue, which instead calls on “all parties” to do so. Text which specifically demanded that neither the Taliban nor any other Afghan group support terrorists was not retained and was replaced with language which notes the Taliban’s “relevant commitments” and reiterates the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including the individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 1267 of October 1999. It seems that Russia also sought to add text which emphasised that all parties should contribute to the security situation at the airport. Language to this effect was ultimately included in the draft in blue.

On 29 August, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France, Germany, and the UK were working on a proposal that would establish a safe zone in Kabul and that a resolution to this effect would be tabled at a meeting today (30 August). According to media reports, the proposed safe zone would allow safe passage for those trying to leave Afghanistan. The draft in blue does not explicitly refer to such a safe zone and, at the time of writing, it is unclear whether a further resolution establishing a safe zone will be proposed.

Tags: Afghanistan, Insights on Asia

View Original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2021/08/afghanistan-vote-on-resolution-on-recent-developments.php

US ‘has intelligence Hamza bin Laden is dead’ - US offers $1 million reward to find Osama bin Laden’s son

Article from The Telegraph.co.uk

By NICK ALLEN, Washington

Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2019 8:58PM

US ‘has intelligence Hamza bin Laden is dead’

The United States has received intelligence that Hamza bin Laden, the son and possible successor of the former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is dead, according to reports.

There were no details of how, or where, the reported death occurred, or whether the US had itself confirmed the information, NBC News reported.

Asked whether Hamza bin Laden was dead, Donald Trump, the US president, said: "I don’t want to comment on it. I don’t want to comment on that."

Three US officials confirmed the intelligence had been obtained, but gave no details of whether the US was involved in causing Hamza bin Laden's death, NBC News reported.

Five months ago the US state department announced a $1 million reward for information on his location, and described Hamza bin Laden, who is aged about 30, as an "emerging al-Qaeda leader."

In a statement at the time the US government added: "He has released audio and video messages on the internet, calling on his followers to launch attacks against the United States and its Western allies, and he has threatened attacks against the United States in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by US military forces."

Osama bin Laden was shot dead by US Navy Seals in May 2011 in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Hamza bin Laden was not discovered at the compound.

He is believed to have been the 15th of Osama bin Laden's roughly 20 children.

Hamza bin Laden spent his early childhood with his parents in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks he was sent to Iran.

After his father's death he became known as the Crown Prince of Jihad, calling for jihadists to unite, and for the overthrow of the Saudi royal family.

In one of the recordings he released after his father's death, Hamza bin Laden said: "If you think that the crime you perpetrated in Abbottabad has gone by with no reckoning, you are wrong."

He reportedly married the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the September 11, 2001 hijackers. And Ayman al-Zawahiri, his father's successor as leader of al-Qaeda, described him as a "lion".

Al-Qaeda was believed to be hoping to use his name as a propaganda tool as it sought a resurgence in the wake of the destruction of the caliphate of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

View the original article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/31/us-has-intelligence-hamza-bin-laden-dead/

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Article from The Telegraph.co.uk

By BEN FARMER, Islamabad; GIANLUCA AVAGNINA, video producer

Date: 01 March 2019 2:39PM

US offers $1 million reward to find Osama bin Laden’s son

A favourite son of Osama bin Laden who has tried to take on his father's mantle of international jihadist leader has had his Saudi citizenship removed and a $1m reward put on his head.

America offered a bounty for information leading to the capture of Hamza bin Laden after the man sometimes called the Crown Prince of Jihad has become a rising star in al Qaeda.

The son of the group's late founder was now emerging as a leader in his father's network after issuing a string of exhortations to attack the West, the United States said.

The measures followed the warning last month by the head of MI6, Alex Younger, that al Qaeda was undergoing a resurgence.

As the bearer of the world's most notorious terrorist name, and son of the man behind the 9/11 attacks, his pedigree as jihadist royalty potentially makes him a potent propaganda tool for al Qaeda.

The group is thought to be trying to capitalise on the destruction of the Islamic State's caliphate to again become the world's pre-eminent jihadist group, analysts have said.

But his lineage alone may not be enough to propel him to the top of the organisation without concrete achievements in jihad.

Film: First video of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza as an adult

“Whether he is ’the chosen one’ still needs to be seen, but he has become more prominent in the group’s media releases during the last three years,” said Tore Hamming, a jihadist specialist at the European University Institute.

“His last name is a major advantage. His father, Osama, still commands incredible respect within the Jihadi movement, not just in al-Qaeda, but more broadly. Hamza was always favoured by his father and he has been groomed by the most senior people in al Qaeda.”

The young bin Laden is thought to be aged around 30 years old and is possibly hiding in Afghanistan, Western officials believe.

Eight years after his father was shot dead in a special forces raid on a compound in Abbottabad, in Pakistan, America has now issued a reward for information about his son.

“Hamza bin Laden is the son of deceased former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and is emerging as a leader in the al Qaeda franchise,” the US State Department said.

Hamza is believed to be the 15th of bin Laden's 20-odd children and spent his early childhood with his parents, first in Saudi Arabia and then in Sudan and Afghanistan in the 1990s.

After the 9/11 attacks, when bin Laden became the world's most wanted man, several wives and children including Hamza were sent for their won safety to live in Iran.

Letters discovered in the Abbottabad compound after the May 2011 raid that killed the older bin Laden show Hamza had a close bond with his father and wanted to follow in his footsteps. His father in turn appeared to be grooming him for a leadership role.

At one point Hamza complained of living “behind iron bars” and wanting to join his father's holy war against the West.

“What truly makes me sad, is the mujahideen legions have marched and I have not joined them,” he wrote.

By the time of his father's death, Hamza had left Iran, but was not living in his father's compound. Instead he was reportedly kept in a separate safe house and was to be sent to Qatar for education.

“Hamza is one of the mujahideen, and he bears their thoughts and worries,” his father wrote in one letter.

He has since gone on to swear revenge for his father's death. “If you think that the crime you perpetrated in Abbottabad has gone by with no reckoning, you are wrong,” he warned in one recording.

Image: The poster released by the US State Department

His status in al Qaeda was underlined when he was introduced by the network's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, as a “lion”. His jihadist pedigree has been further burnished by reports he married the daughter of 9/11 lead hijacker Mohammed Atta.

In one 2015 audio message, he called on jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight would pave the way to “liberating Palestine.” He has also called for the overthrow of the Saudi royal family.

Saudi Arabia on Friday said it would revoke his citizenship.

The US reward for information on Hamza bin Laden's head however remains far lower than the rewards on other al Qaeda figures, said Daniel L Byman of the Brookings Institution think tank.

Al-Zawahiri, who has a $25m reward for information, undoubtedly remains leader of the organisation, he said.

“It’s a bounty for a prominent figure but it’s not a huge bounty compared to his father or previous top-level figures.”

“The thing about him is that there isn’t much to know. He’s very young, he spent a lot of time in hiding in Iran… and he doesn’t have major operational credibility that other figures have,” he said.

“Right now he’s at best a figurehead...while seasoned leaders are trying to recapture their brand, which was much stronger under his father. With that in mind using the Bin Laden name is sensible, the question is can he build on this and go from the son of an important person to an important person in his own right.”

View the original article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/01/us-offers-1-million-reward-find-osama-bin-ladens-son/

Sudan Coup Crisis: UN chief appoints Nicholas Haysom to help African Union mediation in Sudan

• UN Chief Appoints Adviser to Help AU Mediation in Sudan
• Report from Voice of America.com
• By Margaret Besheer
• Published Tuesday April 16, 2019 5:45 PM 
• The U.N. secretary-general has appointed special adviser Nicholas Haysom to support the African Union's mediation efforts in Sudan, where the military ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir last week.
• "He is being put at disposal of the African Union, which we understand will be engaged in some mediation capacity between the transitional council in Khartoum and various parts of Sudanese society," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday. "Mr. Haysom will be there to support them in whatever way he can."
• He said that U.N. chief António Guterres had spoken Monday with Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the African Union Commission, and told him that Haysom would be available.
• "The secretary-general is very attached to his partnership with the African Union and he will do whatever he can to support their efforts," Dujarric said.
• Haysom was most recently the U.N.'s top man in Somalia, but was expelled after four months by the Somali federal government, after he tried to intervene on behalf of a former al-Shabab leader who sought to take part in elections but was banned by Somalia's electoral commission.
• Haysom, a South African lawyer, was previously the U.N. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and was head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
• The African Union Peace and Security Council issued a strong statement Monday condemning the military takeover in Sudan as an unconstitutional change of government, and demanding the military hand over power to a transitional civilian-led political authority within 15 days.
• Failure to do so, the AU warned, would result in Sudan's suspension from participation in all African Union activities until constitutional order is restored.
• Sudan's General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces, is sworn-in as the appointed deputy of Sudan's Transitional Military Council, standing before the head of transitional council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
• Meanwhile, in Khartoum Tuesday, the country's new military ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, fired the country's top prosecutor in an apparent concession to demonstrators' demands.
• Protest leaders have called for the new ruling military council to be dissolved and replaced by a civilian one, in the wake of the military coup that ousted President al-Bashir last week.
• Mohamed Naji, a senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) — the main group behind months of protests against al-Bashir — said the group wants to see a civic council formed that includes representatives from the army.
• On Sunday, Sudan's military council said it would name a civilian prime minister and cabinet minister to help run the country but would not name a civilian to the office of the president. A military spokesman also said the council would not stop the demonstrations that are continuing.
• The SPA has called for more demonstrations until its demands are met.
• The protests began Dec. 19, with demonstrators accusing al-Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages.
• Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in connection with atrocities in the western region of Darfur. However, the military leaders have said he will not be turned over to the ICC, but will instead be tried in Sudan.
• Source:  https://www.voanews.com/a/un-chief-appoints-adviser-to-help-au-mediation-in-sudan/4878727.html
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• 
  
• Updates
• Uganda willing to offer Al-Bashir asylum
• Here below is a link to a video report plus a copy of an accompanying written report by SABC Digital News published at Google’s YouTube on Tuesday, 16 April 2019:
• “The government of Uganda says it is willing to consider granting asylum to deposed Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. It says, this in appreciation for his role in the South-Sudan peace deal. Uganda's State Minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem, said on Tuesday in Kampala, that if al-Bashir applied for asylum in Uganda his government could consider the matter. We are now joined LIVE for more on this story by Correspondent Michale Baleke from Kampala, Uganda.”
  Click here to view the video:  https://youtu.be/CLHWaD87WtU
  South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is funded in whole or in part by the South African government. Wikipedia
• Also, posted on this blog’s sister sites UGANDA WATCH and CONGO WATCH.
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  Ex-President Omar al-Bashir moved to prison
  Here is a copy of a report by BBC News online published Wednesday April 17, 2019 11:50 GMT UK:
• Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Reports say the ex-leader has until now been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard.
  He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security.
  Months of protests in Sudan led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday.
  Uganda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  As an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented.”
  Click here to read the full story and live updates at BBC News online:
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47961424

SPLM/A defector George Athor Deng threatens to fight to topple Government of Southern Sudan

Last April, southern Sudan officials confirmed that George Athor Deng, a defeated candidate and former Lt. General and Deputy Chief of General Staff for Moral Orientation in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), who had contested as independent candidate for governorship of the region’s largest state of Jonglei, was behind a deadly assault on the army’s military barrack of Doleib Hills area near the Upper Nile state’s capital, Malakal on April 30th. Click on Athor label here below for further details.

SPLA Renegade Athor Threatens To Disrupt Referendum
Source: SRS - Sudan Radio Service
Date: Tuesday, 17 August 2010. Full copy:

(Jonglei) – The renegade SPLA General George Athor has threatened to disrupt the referendum process in southern Sudan if the SPLM refuses to talk peace with him later this month.

General Athor rebelled after he lost in the April elections demanding a re-run of the elections for the governorship of Jonglei state.

Speaking to SRS in an exclusive interview on Monday from Jonglei state, General Athor said his attempts to seek peace have proved futile.

[George Athor]: “Referendum will not take place if am outside and others are outside. And if he [Salva] is dreaming that referendum will take place it will never. It will need unity of all southern Sudanese. So let us talk before the end of August, if August goes then I believe the referendum will go. And I am one among the people who will really fight to topple this government and not think to talk to them again because they have wasted what we have fought for, for almost 23 years. So my appeal to all southern Sudanese, let them tell Salva that he shouldn’t let us lose this chance, let us try to solve this problem, amicably before time.”

Last Sunday the SPLA captured a helicopter at Faluj Airstrip in Upper Nile state claiming that those on board were senior officers allied to the renegade General Athor.

In the interview Athor admitted that the captured helicopter was carrying some of his political allies, but denied that there were military officers allied to his group.

[George Athor]: “They captured rebels? Where are their uniforms, where are all the things that can indicate that this people are military people. They were only civilians. They were people assisting me; most of them are drivers, and others. One of them was the former commissioner of Khor-Fulus county. He was my campaign manager in northern Jonglei state. So when we were attacked at Khor-Fulus, they ran to Fangak county and hid there and they got a chance on a helicopter that was coming with relief to Fangak. They then boarded the helicopter then when the helicopter landed in Faluj they were apprehended, tortured and they are now in Juba.”

Attempts by SRS to reach the SPLM for reaction, were fruitless.

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News from SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

Tuesday, 17-Aug-2010

• Sudan Expels Foreign Aid Workers
• SPLA Renegade Athor Threatens To Disrupt Referendum
• SPLM Accuses NCP Of Planning Ethnic Cleansing In Abyei
• Jordanian Peacekeepers Kidnapped In Darfur Released
• Catholic Bishop Calls On International Community Not To Influence Southern Decision On Referendum
• Referendum To Go As scheduled Despite Delays
• IDPs Suffer Unrest And Disturbance In Darfur, Says Report
• Stop Early Marriages Urges Health Officilas In Unity State
• Sudan Sports Latest

Monday, 16-Aug-2010

• South Not Ready For The Referendum, Says Minister
• Mbeki Urges The Timely Conduct Of The Southern Referendum
• UN Urges Government To Allow Access To Kalma IDP Camp
• Kalma Camp To Be Relocated, Says Government
• Land Commissioner Says Land Registration To Be Conducted At All Government Levels
• Sudan Sports Latest

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Further Reading

1. Sudan Watch - June 02, 2006:
2. Darfur's JEM rebel leader says "We're going to have our own country" - excerpt:

Khalil Ibrahim, who took part in talks with Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek on Wednesday, told the Slovenian public broadcaster that his Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) would seek independence if there was no peace in Darfur.

"Now as the next step that means that we will ask for self-determination - we're going to have our own country," Khalil told TV Slovenija, which said that this is the first time he has mentioned the possibility of independence.

Sudan Watch - July 25, 2006:

SLM Abdel Wahid al-Nur declares his aim is to become President of Sudan - excerpt:

UN SGSR Jan Pronk, in his latest blog entry, reveals that this week, Abdel Wahid al-Nur declared that his aim is to become President of Sudan. Note also, Mr Pronk confirms JEM's aim is not peace but power in Khartoum ...

Sudan Watch - March 31, 2010:

UNAMID JSR meets with SLM leader Abdul Wahid Al-Nur in Paris, France - excerpt re H.E. Dr. Luka Biong Deng meeting with Cdr. Abdul Wahid Al-Nur, 22 July 2008, Washington, DC:

“SPLM is our strategic Ally; SLM is not competing with the SPLM. The SPLM is the leading force for change in Sudan, and we need to remain allies”, said Chairman Abdul Whaid Al-Nur. He stressed the need for discussions between the two movements around the SPLM Roadmap for Darfur in order to settle points of difference to begin a process of cooperation and coordination between two movements. Cdr. Al-Nur also emphasized the importance of the establishment of direct channels of communication between the respective Leadership of the SLM and SPLM.

1. Afghans believe US is funding Taliban

   25 May 2010 ... Daniella Peled: Intellectuals and respected Afghan professionals are convinced the west is prolonging conflict to maintain influence in the ...
   www.guardian.co.uk/.../2010/.../afghans-believe-us-funding-taliban - Cached

2. BBC News - Investigators claim US money is funding Afghan warlords

   22 Jun 2010 ... The US military pays $4m per week to Afghan security firms who funnel money to warlords and the Taliban, a report for Congress says.
   www.bbc.co.uk/news/10372309 - Cached

Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa: Sources (IslamOnline.net)

Here is a copy of an article published at IslamOnline.net (IOL):
Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa: Sources
Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent, Sun. Nov. 22, 2009

"Somalia is the next possible front, where current conditions suit Al-Qaeda network," Professor Rizvi told IOL.

ISLAMABAD/ KABUL – Amid ongoing back-door talks between the emboldened Afghan Taliban and the US and full-scale Pakistani military operations against militants in the border tribal areas, many of Al-Qaeda's senior leaders are reportedly seeking a new shelter in Africa, according to intelligence sources.

"They are stuck in Afghanistan because their several hideouts, including various strongholds in South Waziristan, have been captured by the army," a senior Pakistani intelligence official, associated with Afghan affairs, told IslamOnline.net on condition of anonymity.

"They cannot move freely from Afghanistan to Pakistan and vise versa any more," he contended.

"Therefore, the best option for them is to look for an alternative."

At least six soldiers and 14 militants were killed on Saturday, November 21, in clashes between the army and local militants in the restive tribal region.

Nearly 30,000 troops supported by air power and artillery unleashed a massive offensive against South Waziristan, a known Taliban stronghold near Afghan border, in mid-October.

The Army said it had found trenches and recovered huge caches of arms and ammunition in a number of locations.

The US says the inaccessible mountainous region has become a shelter for Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

The senior Pakistani intelligence official says Afghanistan will not remain a safe haven for Al-Qaeda for long, citing talks between Taliban and the US.

"Though there are dim chances of success for the talks, it seems Al-Qaeda has sensed something wrong," he said.

"That is why they are moving from Afghanistan."

Talks between Taliban and US representatives tumbled a few weeks ago after Taliban rejected an offer to control six provinces in return for accepting foreign troops and eight US military bases in different parts of Afghanistan.

However, the two sides reportedly agreed to continue back-door diplomacy brokered by Muslim heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

African Shelter

Background interviews with senior intelligence officials and sources privy to Taliban suggest many of Al-Qaeda's senior leaders are reportedly seeking an alternative shelter in Africa.

"Various Al-Qaeda leaders have already moved to Africa, where their most-likely destination is Somalia," suggest the senior Pakistani intelligence official.

Defense and security analysts believe that war-hacked Somalia could be the most likely next stop.

"Somalia is the next possible front, where current conditions suit Al-Qaeda network," Professor Hassan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based senior security analyst, told IOL.

"There is a lose grip of government in Somalia, which could be an alternative for the Al-Qaeda leadership.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militant group has been waging relentless battles against the transitional government and the Africa peacekeepers.

The group controls large areas in war-ravaged Somalia.

"It seems as if these areas would be the target in war on terror in near future," says Rizvi.

The intelligence official says Ayman Al-Zuwahiri, Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, too is considering moving from Afghanistan.

"Right now, he is very much in Afghanistan, as per our information. But we have reports that he too is considering moving to Somalia."

Normal Dynamics

Taliban sources say many Al-Qaeda leaders are moving out, but offer a different reason.

"This is a continuous process," a Taliban leader told IOL, wishing not to be named.

"A number of Al-Qaeda leaders have already moved to different countries, including Europe via Iran during the past eight years."

Noor Zaman Achakzai, a security analyst based in the Pakistani town of Chaman, which borders the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, agrees.

"I personally know that hundreds of Al-Qaeda have already fled to Europe and Africa during the past seven-eight years via Iran," he told IOL.

The southwestern borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan bump in at Chagi district of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

The area is a famous human smuggling route used annually by thousands of illegal immigrants who move into Europe via Iran and Turkey.

"They never stay at one place; instead they keep on moving because it is their old tactic," says Achakzai.

"They don’t want to be bombed by the Pakistani or US forces simultaneously."

Al-Qaeda leadership stayed for years in Sudan back in the early 1990s before moving to Afghanistan when the Taliban rose to power.

The Taliban leader refutes the intelligence agencies’ contention that Al Qaeda leaders are moving from Afghanistan for fear of being ditched by Taliban.

"This is not the case. They are moving to divert the attention of occupation forces and open new fronts."