The Taliban* has junked media reports suggesting that its fighters are participating in the war launched against Israel over the weekend by the resistance group Hamas.
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has said that it is not going to send fighters and be part of the ongoing war with Israel, an Indian news channel reported, citing sources.
The Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, has stated that it would rather the two warring sides "sit and talk and resolve the crisis".
The focus is on ensuring peace in the region, the Taliban said, underlining that it stands by its previous position that “our soil will not be used for any kind of terror activity and we will not participate in any such activity”, the media report added.
The denial regarding Taliban fighters comes amid the Israeli military carrying out a large-scale offensive to hit Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip days after the group unleashed a barrage of missile attacks against Israel over the weekend.
Hamas has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007. Although the US, European Union, and some Western allies regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation, the UN hasn't designated it as such.
*Taliban is under UN sanctions
*Taliban is under UN sanctions