Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United States plans to pave the way for the infiltration of terrorists linked to the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group into Afghanistan to justify its continued presence in the region.
"The objective of the US from moving Daesh terrorists to Afghanistan is to justify the continuation of its presence in the region and create security for the Zionist regime," he noted in remarks carried by his official website on Tuesday. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the terrorist group.
The Leader expressed regret over a series of recent civilian casualties in Afghanistan, saying, "The same hands that created Daesh as a tool to oppress and commit crimes against people in Syria and Iraq are today seeking to move Daesh to Afghanistan after its defeat in those areas."
The end of the territorial rule of the IS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria was officially declared late last year.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the recent killings mark the beginning of the execution of the US plot.
On Saturday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 100 people and wounded at least 235 in the worst attack in the Afghan capital Kabul in months, according to Reuters.
A few days earlier, the Taliban killed more than 20 people in a siege of the city's Intercontinental Hotel. Another six people were killed in an assault claimed by IS militants on the office of aid group Save the Children in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
Main Source of Insecurity
The Leader said US-backed terrorists do not differentiate between Shia and Sunni Muslims and target them all.
"The Americans themselves are the main source of insecurity in Afghanistan, and the killings that have occurred over the past 20 years in the region in the name of religion have been directly or indirectly committed by US agents."
Now, they plan to create insecurity to strengthen their foothold in the region and advance their political and economic agenda, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
According to him, Washington's main policy is to keep regional governments busy with their own issues so that they would not be able to think of ways to counter Israel.
