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Taliban victory’ll fire up jihadists in Nigeria, Mali, others – UK Economist warns

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A London-based Economist magazine has warned that the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan would fire up jihadists in weaker states like Nigeria, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Mali, Somalia and Mozambique.

The report published titled: “After Afghanistan Where Next for Global Jihad?” comes shortly after two explosions outside Kabul airport killed dozens, including both Afghan civilians and American troops on Thursday.

The publication posits that the terrorist group would also encourage recruits to join them, adding that the effect would be worse in weaker states.

It read: “the Taliban’s triumph will fire up jihadists in other countries, and spur recruits to join them. Some who live in rich countries will be inspired to commit acts of terrorism there. It does not take many such attacks to sow a sense of fear or roil domestic politics.

“Even worse will be the effect in poorer, weaker states, where jihadists aspire not merely to kill but to control territory, or at least prevent the government from doing so. In places like Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia and Mozambique, they already do. In several other parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, they threaten to. Many are asking: if our Afghan brothers can beat a superpower, surely we can beat our own wretched rulers?

“Jihadists in north-eastern Nigeria are hard to beat because locals detest the central government.

“One lesson of the Afghan fiasco is that what happens in far-off failing states matters not only to the people who live there, but also to the rest of the world. Calamity in Kabul today means bigger refugee flows, more jihadist attacks and a greater chance that other Islamist insurgencies will prevail. That could destabilise a large number of countries, endangering both locals and the foreigners who visit or do business there.”

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