If Al-Qaeda has a center, it would be Iran: Zalmay

KABUL (TOLOnews): The former US special envoy for Afghanistan’s reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that if there is any center of Al-Qaeda, it “would be Iran” and this will affect the relationship between Iran and the world.
Speaking in an interview with TOLOnews, Khalilzad said that more than elsewhere, if there is any center for the group, it would be Iran.
“Once Afghanistan was a center for Al-Qaeda, but Al-Qaeda has changed and its small groups have become a network that exists in various areas of the world. But if there is any center, it should be Iran,” he said. He said that one of the reasons that the US pulled out of Afghanistan was the change in course of terrorism.
In response to questions asked about the claims of the regional countries that Daesh is formed by the US, Khalilzad said “Daesh” is a threat to the US and the world and that the US conducted several operations against Daesh in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
“Iran and Russia benefited from the presence of Daesh. If someone thinks about who benefited from it, then it could be said that Russia and Iran are behind Daesh,” Khalilzad said.
He said that two groups that are significant for the security of the US are Daesh and Al-Qaeda, and that the Doha agreement focused on these two groups.
When asked about the handing over of Afghanistan’s embassies to the Islamic Emirate in Iran and Turkey, Khalilzad said that the decision could be due to economic issues, but both countries denied recognition of the Taliban government.