Against the backdrop of a spike in activities of terror groups in Afghanistan, India and the US have jointly called on the Taliban to ensure that Afghan soil is never used again to threaten or attack any country, shelter terrorists, or plan terror attacks, Hindustan Times reports on October 29. A joint statement issued after a meeting of the US-India counterterrorism joint working group and the bilateral designations dialogue said both countries are committed to close consultations on developments in Afghanistan and potential terror threats from Afghan territory. The development comes against the backdrop of reports of fighters of Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda and several Pakistan-based terror groups regrouping on Afghan soil after the takeover of the country by the Taliban on August 15.