Kabul, Nov 8 (IANS) The recent incident in Afghanistan's Nuristan is increasingly seen as more than a failed military incursion as Taliban's allegations against Pakistan fit into a long history of accusations regarding proxy warfare. The testimonies of captured fighters point to a broader pattern that Afghanistan has faced for decades which involves recruitment, training and deployment of Afghan citizens for conflicts, a report said.

Taliban has accused Pakistan of allowing anti-Taliban fighters to move through its territory and provided logistical support to opposing groups, an allegation rejected by Islamabad. However, the statements released after the clashes indicate that it was more than an insurgent activity, according to a report in Afghan Diaspora Network.

In their testimonies, several captured fighters were taken from Iran through Chabahar and Gwadar, moved to camps around Islamabad and later taken to Chitral before entering Afghanistan. The statements of captured fighters point to an organised network of recruitment, transportation, accommodation, training, and deployment.

The similar statements does not by itself prove state involvement. However, they showcase how vulnerable Afghan migrants may become involved in armed conflicts due to economic desperation. Majority of those questioned were migrant workers or unemployed Afghan nationals who had spent time in Iran, according to a report in Afghan Diaspora Network.

Several of them mentioned that they were offered salaries and employment opportunities. Javed, one of the captured men, said that the promises made by them about money or anything else are "completely false". His testimony indicates that material incentives may have been an important recruitment tool.

"If so, the Nuristan episode reveals a disturbing reality. Afghanistan's prolonged economic crisis has created a pool of vulnerable young men who can be mobilised by armed actors willing to exploit their insecurity. Whether recruitment is conducted by opposition groups, criminal networks, or regional proxies, the underlying mechanism remains the same: economic hardship becomes a gateway to conflict," A. Shafaq (pseudonym), a researcher and lecturer at one of the private universities in Kabul, said in a report in Afghan Diaspora Network.

In October, Afghanistan's Ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan, described Pakistan as the "only threat" to Afghanistan's security and the wider region.

Addressing a joint security conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow, Hassan accused Islamabad of providing shelter to multiple terrorist groups, including ISIS (Daesh), Afghan media outlet Tolo News reported.

He also alleged that the groups were active inside Pakistan and that attempts had been made to move them into Afghanistan.

"We must state clearly that the threat to the security and stability of our region now comes from Pakistan. Pakistan not only shelters armed opponents of Afghanistan's government, but has also provided fertile ground there for narcotics and for Daesh's activities," Hassan said.

"This is not an empty allegation. You will also have followed reports on this in Pakistani and international media," he added.

Hassan alleged that Pakistan had provided an environment for these groups to operate, recruit members and raise funds.

He also claimed that hundreds of armed fighters belonging to these terror groups had been brought through Chitral into Zebak district of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on July 23, and, in a second attempt, into Kamdesh district of Nuristan province on September 25.

--IANS

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