‘9/11 Masterminds Were Not Hiding In Caves’: India Targets Pakistan At UNSC, Flags Afghan Crisis

In a veiled attack at Pakistan, India has urged the international community to act against terrorist networks and safe havens that allow extremist groups to operate across borders. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish invoked the history of the September 11, 2001 attacks and said senior al-Qaeda leaders were eventually found in settled communities rather than remote hideouts. He cited Osama bin Laden’s killing in Abbottabad and referred to other key 9/11 figures who were captured in residential and urban areas. Harish warned that the same permissive environment continues to provide space and support to al-Qaeda affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. He also expressed concern over the forcible return of more than three million Afghans, calling for returns to be voluntary, safe and dignified.