NEW DELHI: Another 9/11 is possible if the West does not commit to the Taliban or repeat the mistakes of the 1990s, Pakistani national security adviser Moeed Yusuf has warned, according to the British newspaper The Times.
In an interview with Christina Lamb of The Times, Yusuf said: “Mark my words … If the mistakes of the 1990s and the abandonment of Afghanistan are made again, the result will be absolutely the same: a vacuum. full of undesirable elements that will threaten everyone, Pakistan and the West. ”
The publication contained the interview with the caption “You risk a second 9/11 if you don’t engage with Afghanistan’s new leaders,” warns Pakistan’s national security adviser.
On Sunday, Yusuf’s office issued a statement saying The Times retracted what it called a “frivolous interpretation” of the interview. He called the history of the British publication a “great misconception” of the conversation that took place between journalist Lamb and Yusuf.
“At no time did he claim that the West should ‘immediately recognize’ the Taliban, as the article states. There was also no ‘warning’ of a second 9/11 related to the formal ‘recognition’ of the Taliban.” adds the statement. .
The Taliban are believed to have deep ties to the Pakistani establishment, its military and intelligence wings.
Pakistan is one of only three countries (the other two are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) that recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that held power between 1996 and 2001, before being overthrown by the United States.
In an interview with Christina Lamb of The Times, Yusuf said: “Mark my words … If the mistakes of the 1990s and the abandonment of Afghanistan are made again, the result will be absolutely the same: a vacuum. full of undesirable elements that will threaten everyone, Pakistan and the West. ”
The publication contained the interview with the caption “You risk a second 9/11 if you don’t engage with Afghanistan’s new leaders,” warns Pakistan’s national security adviser.
On Sunday, Yusuf’s office issued a statement saying The Times retracted what it called a “frivolous interpretation” of the interview. He called the history of the British publication a “great misconception” of the conversation that took place between journalist Lamb and Yusuf.
“At no time did he claim that the West should ‘immediately recognize’ the Taliban, as the article states. There was also no ‘warning’ of a second 9/11 related to the formal ‘recognition’ of the Taliban.” adds the statement. .
The Taliban are believed to have deep ties to the Pakistani establishment, its military and intelligence wings.
Pakistan is one of only three countries (the other two are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) that recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that held power between 1996 and 2001, before being overthrown by the United States.