Maldives will assess risks to the archipelago due to the situation in Afghanistan as the Maldivian government has repeatedly warned against the growing extremism and radicalization in the country.   

Eva Abdulla, the deputy speaker of Parliament, has asked the parliamentary committee on national security services, named the 241 committee, to assess whether the Maldives faces any dangers due to the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.

Experts all around the world have been suggesting that the victory of the fundamentalist Islamic group, the Taliban, in Afghanistan over the US-backed Afghan government will inspire jihadi movements the world over. The parliament committee has been asked to compile a risk assessment report and also to obtain risk assessment reports conducted by other relevant authorities, reported Raajje TV. 

This comes after former president Mohammed Nashid, who is currently the speaker of parliament, has repeatedly raised the issue of extremism in the country, and accused his own government of being soft to tackle the challenge. In May. Nasheed escaped an assassination attempt by religious extremists. 

Nasheed, who turned against President Ibrahim Solih, had even asked the latter to impose a state of emergency in the country to crack down on extremists. Over months now he has been talking about the government’s failure to identify people and groups that planned and funded the attack and accused it of being soft on extremism.

President Solih, however, recently refuted the allegation against his government, saying there was no need to impose an emergency to tackle these threats. The government, he said, is committed to bringing the people involved in planning and funding the attack to justice. 
 
Eva also asked the committee to identify ways in which the Maldives can provide assistance to those requiring aid in Afghanistan. 

(SAM)