There has been a significant increase in terrorist activities across Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power and it has "symbiotic relations" with various terror groups, Afghan Ambassador Farid Mamundzay said on Friday.
The Afghan envoy to India, appointed by the previous Ashraf Ghani government, also said the people of Afghanistan are going through the "darkest moments once in a generation" now as the country is facing economic, security and political crises.
"The fall of Kabul in August last year triggered complex humanitarian, security and political crises and Afghans are going through the darkest moments once in a generation right now," he said at a conference organised by the TV9 Bharatvarsh news channel.
The ambassador said the Taliban has "symbiotic relations" with various terror groups.
"In the aftermath of the US withdrawal (of troops) from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban, there is a significant increase of terrorist activities across the country," Mamundzay said.
"The ISK (Islamic State-Khorasan) has gained more strength, the al-Qaeda is on the rise again. In the first 10 months since the fall of Kabul, the ISK's size has doubled from 2,000 to 4,000, mostly because of the release of ISK prisoners," he added.
The ambassador said as long as the Taliban exists in Afghanistan in the "current form", there is going to be an increase in terrorist activities, including terrorist sanctuaries and infrastructure required to drive a terror network.
"There is a rise of terror groups and their activities. As long as there is no change in the political landscape, there is going to be further deterioration in the current circumstances," he said.
Mamundzay said 21 terrorist groups exist in Afghanistan and the current economic crisis is providing a "perfect" ground for such groups to recruit people.
"Afghanistan is weak and a failing State, which is a prerequisite for any terrorist sanctuary. There are no jobs, the economy is cashless and people are going through difficult economic circumstances. It is a perfect ground for those terror groups to recruit people," he said.
At the same time, Mamundzay said terrorism is not an Afghan phenomenon.
"It is a regional and international phenomenon. The Afghans are victims of terrorism. There has not been a single regional or international incident where an Afghan citizen has been involved. Yet we pay the price for terrorism," he said.
The envoy also slammed the western powers, claiming that they left the Afghans on their own.
"We have been left alone. We have been humiliated by the West. The West negotiated a deal with the Taliban where they delivered to the Taliban, yet they failed to deliver to the Afghan people. Where we are today is because of a failed agreement with the Taliban in Doha," he said.
