Besmillah Taban and David O’Brien
Uyghur separatist groups have consistently supported the Taliban in their two-decade-long fight for control of Afghanistan, but increased Chinese presence in the country is altering the status quo with significant risk for Beijing
The Taliban have long provided members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), with opportunities for residence, education, and illicit trade. In return these groups have supported the Taliban both financially, benefiting from complex Uyghur financial systems across the region, and with a supply of fighters.
The former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government repeatedly reported the presence of these groups as one of the main foreign factions backing the Taliban, particularly in the northern and northeastern provinces of Afghanistan. The erstwhile Afghan government considered these Uyghur militant groups to be key operational arms of the Taliban in certain areas.
With the 2021 fall of the Republic and the Taliban’s return to power, China swiftly revealed and expanded its previously covert two-decade-long relationship with the Taliban. Although the Taliban initially expected extensive economic and political support from China, Beijing has backed a chosen few initiatives aligning with its economic and strategic interests.
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