On Saturday, the Afghan government expelled 10 Chinese intelligence agents from the country who allegedly had contact with pro-Taliban groups.
The Afghan National Security Directorate (NDS) arrested 10 Chinese citizens in Kabul on 10 December on charges of spying, according to reports from several Indian news agencies last December. Among the 10 Chinese citizens at least one woman who seems to have worked for the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the main Chinese intelligence agency.
According to the Indian press, Chinese citizens had used Kabul as a base to build a fictional chapter of the Islamic Movement of East Turkestan (ETIM). Based in the heavily Muslim province of Xinjiang, ETIM is a separatist armed group that seeks to create an ethnic Islamic separatist state "Uighurs". The purpose of the ploy was reportedly to trap supporters and ETIM members operating in Afghanistan.
It is also alleged that at least two of the Chinese spies have had contact with the Haqqani network, a militant group that has sworn allegiance to the Taliban leadership but with an independent command structure.
Interestingly, the arrests of 10 Chinese citizens occurred just before US President Donald Trump was briefed on contacts between MSS and pro-Taliban groups in Afghanistan. According to Axios, US intelligence agencies, Chinese spies had offered rewards to Afghan militants in exchange for killing American troops.