Beijing [China]: More than 50,000 militants from 21 terrorist organisations are currently operating<\/b>
\nBeijing [China]: More than 50,000 militants from 21 terrorist organisations are currently operating in Afghanistan, the country\u2019s deputy Defence Minister, Hilaluddin Helal, said on Friday. Out of these 70 per cent are Pakistanis.
\u201cCurrently, 21 terrorist organisations are operating in the country. The total number of militants stands at 50,200,\u201d Helal said at the eight Beijing Xiangshan Forum on defence, which opened on Thursday.
The minister added that Afghanistan had become \u201ca central battlefield\u201d for members of various terrorist organizations that are \u201cfighting for influence in the region.\u201d
\u201c[The number of militants active in Afghanistan] includes 8,023 international terrorists,\u201d Helal stressed, noting that Taliban is the biggest group operating in the country and is comprised of about 38,000 people.
The Islamic State terrorist group now has over 2,000 members in Afghanistan, he underlined.
\u201cAs much as 70 per cent of IS [members] are Pakistanis, 6 per cent are Uzbeks, 4 per cent are Chechens, 3 per cent are Arabs, 1 per cent are Chinese and 14 per cent are Afghans,\u201d Helal pointed out.
Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to simmering Taliban insurgency. The violence is exacerbated by the activities of various terrorist groups, including the IS.<\/p>\n

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