Daesh militants in Afghanistan have captured the Tora Bora cave complex in Nangarhar province, located near the border with Pakistan, Associated Press reported earlier this week.
This mountain range was once the stronghold of the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The caves had until now been under Taliban control.
Abd Omar Khorasani, the commander of Daesh in Afghanistan, confirmed this report. He said that the terrorists have seized the caves and are now fighting with the Afghan government troops, which are supported by US Special Forces and the US Air Force.
Earlier, the Afghan army launched an offensive on Daesh, but so far it has not been possible to achieve any significant results.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense stated that the government troops will be able to take down the militants who captured the cave of Tora Bora in no time.
However, Iranian analyst Mollazehi Pir-Mohammad believes that Daesh have chosen an impregnable fortification and it will be impossible for the Afghan government troops to liberate Tora Bora.
In an interview with Sputnik Persian, Mollazehi said, “The region where the Tora Bora cave complex is located was personally equipped with the most advanced technology and radio electronics by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda back when the Soviet troops entered Afghanistan.”
Furthermore, the analyst said that there are armaments that are hid in the labyrinths of this cave.
“This complex is located in a remote mountain range and in fact is almost inaccessible from the point of view of a military assault,” Mollazehi said.
He further said that the importance of this strategic region lies in the fact that it is connected other important areas through, making it is easy to coordinate and control military operations in areas such as the Afghan Badakhshan, the Fergana valley towards Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
It is also possible to access paths leading to China’s Xinjiang and Kashgar from Tora Bora.
“If Daesh plans an attack on China, it can be easily carried out from the cave of Tora Bora. It is even possible to reach Indian Kashmir from there,” Mollazehi said.
According to the analyst, this region is extremely important for the Afghan authorities, US troops and Daesh because anyone who can assert their domination in Tora Bora will be able to change the course of war in their favor.
Since Daesh could supersede the Taliban and occupy this inaccessible underground fortress, Mollazehi said that he doubts that the government forces of Afghanistan will be able to force out the militants.
“Although the ISAF under the auspices of the US may carry out an air attack on this cave, they are unlikely to do so,” he said.
He said that not so long ago, the US dropped the largest in its arsenal, non-nuclear bomb, called the ‘mother of all bombs’ in the province of Nangahar.
“The Americans wanted to destroy the Daesh terrorists. But now, when the militants have already captured the main underground bastion, we see how this action with the ‘mother of all bombs’ was ineffective,” the analyst said.
He also noted that it is hardly worthwhile to hope that an increase in the American military contingent in Afghanistan will be able to somehow help fight the growing
“The plans of the US and NATO is to turn Afghanistan into a springboard from which it is easy to carry out attacks by Daesh on Russia and China,” Mollazehi concluded.
Afghanistan has been experiencing significant political, social and security-related instability for decades, as terrorist organizations, including the Taliban radical movement and Daesh continue to stage attacks against civilian and military targets.
Source: Russian News Agency Sputniknews
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