Afghanistan asks Beijing to apologize; Chinese Espionage Cell busted

Kabul, Dec 28: Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security has detained 10 Chinese citizens accused of operating a terror cell in Kabul. The Chinese citizens detained by the NDS on charges of espionage are believed to be linked to China’s spy agency, Ministry of State Security.

 

The incident has been a huge embarrassment for Beijing and China has been trying to persuade the Ashraf Ghani Government to silence the case. The crackdown of the espionage cell by the NDS has started on Dec 10. The incident is the first time in years that Chinese nationals have been caught spying in Afghanistan where the country was looking at rapidly expanding its influence immediately after the withdrawal of the US troops.

 

Primary accusations are so that at least two of the 10 Chinese nationals were in contact with the Haqqani Network, the terrorist group that is believed to be an offshoot of the Taliban. According to a counter-terror official in Kabul, one of the detained Chinese citizens, Li Yangyang, has been operating for the Chinese Intelligence since July-August . He was arrested by the Afghan NDS on Dec 10 from his house in Western Kabul neighbourhood of Kart-e-Char.

 

The NDS team has seized arms, ammunition and Ketamine powder, a recreational drug , from his residence when the first round of raids were carried out on Dec 10. NDS officials who have questioned Li have reported that he had been gathering information about Al Qaeda, Taliban and Uyghurs in Kunar and Badakhshan provinces.

 

A Chinese woman was the second person to be arrested. Sha Hung, who runs a restaurant in Kabul’s Shirpur was also arrested the same day. NDS has recovered explosive material and other incriminating items, from the woman's place. Eight more Chinese nationals were eventually arrested.