UNITED NATIONS—The U.N. Security Council extended sanctions against the Taliban for 18 months in a resolution Monday that warned of the increasing presence of affiliates of the Islamic State extremist group in Afghanistan.
Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. envoy for Afghanistan, told reporters after briefing the council that the security situation in Afghanistan is “extremely challenging” with the most significant threat coming from the Taliban insurgency.
But he noted that while the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has only a limited presence at the moment, primarily in Nangahar Province in the east, it should not be underestimated.
“They certainly constitute a worrying factor, when they represent an alternative flagpole around which a large variety of disaffected groups can rally,” Haysom said.
The resolution, adopted unanimously, stressed the importance of ensuring that sanctions contribute to combatting the Taliban insurgency and restoring peace.
Haysom told the council that Afghan security forces “may be stretched to capacity but, for the most part, they are holding their ground.”
Afghanistan’s U.N. Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal, said his country hopes that Monday’s resolution and other U.N. resolutions targeting IS and other extremist groups “will further tighten the noose on the activities of al-Qaida, ISIS and the Taliban.”
