UN experts: 45,000 opposition fighters in Afghanistan
UNITED NATIONS -- Fighters loyal to al-Qaida have taken on a more active supporting role for the Taliban during the current offensive in Afghanistan while the position of ISIS in the country "has distinctly weakened," U.N. experts said in a report circulated Friday.
The experts said the Afghan government and several other countries estimate that there are about 45,000 opposition fighters in Afghanistan and between 20 percent and 25 percent are foreigners.
These "bad actors ... mutually reinforced each other and presented a significant and rising terrorist challenge not only for the country but also for the international community," the experts quoted several unnamed senior officials as saying.
