Taliban rejects Putin's claim of IS presence in northern Afghanistan

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that Islamic State (IS) terror group was present in the north of the country, saying it was "baseless", the media reported.

Addressing a virtual summit of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) on Friday, Putin said that Russian data has revealed that 2,000 IS fighters are in the north of Afghanistan, TOLO News reported.

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The Russian leader added that the IS "terrorists seek to enter the territory of the Commonwealth under the guise of refugees".

Responding to Putin's claim, the Cultural Commission under the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture said on Saturday: "Concerns expressed in this regard are, to some extent, baseless. Daesh has no support from the people in any part of Afghanistan."

The development comes as Moscow is slated to host two meetings on Afghanistan this week.

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The first meeting on Tuesday will be attended by officials from the US, Russia, China and Pakistan.

While the second on Wednesday will see the participation of representatives from a number of countries.

The Taliban Foreign ministry has said a delegation will attend the first meeting.