THE last C-17 military cargo plane departed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug 30, as part of the US troops’ withdrawal plan from Afghanistan, which began gradually in February.
This apparently brought the
US’s longest conflict to a close.
Many leaders from Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries welcomed this as a victory for
the Taliban, while others viewed it as a defeat for the “mighty” US, citing its
failure in the Vietnam War as an example.
The perception was that after
the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, things would rebound, but that did not
happen.
The terrorist attacks
Taliban has been attacked by
other terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K),
which opposes Taliban doctrine and leaders, in various parts of Afghanistan
since September.
Not only were Taliban
militants killed but also innocent individuals including children and women.
They were perceived as collateral damage.
On September 18, at least
seven people were killed and 30 others were injured in a series of explosions
in Jalalabad, the capital of Nanjarhar province, and Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi
neighbourhood in eastern Afghanistan. ISIS-K claimed responsibility.
In a series of attacks since
the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August, attackers hit Taliban
vehicles in eastern Afghanistan on September 22, killing at least two Taliban
militants and three civilians, including two children.
These attacks were also
alleged to have been carried out by ISIS-K, which is based in eastern
Afghanistan.
The Taliban and ISIS-K have
long been rivals and the former is under pressure to control the latter, in
part to keep a pledge made to the international community that it would not
allow terrorist attacks to be staged from Afghan terrain.
Several people were killed and
at least 20 others were injured after an explosion occurred outside Kabul’s Eid
Gah Mosque during a memorial service for Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid’s
mother on Oct 3.
Since Taliban’s ascendancy,
ISIS-K fighters have upped their attacks against them.
The likelihood of a larger
clash between the two groups has increased as a result of the surge. It also
raises the question of whether the Taliban is capable of maintaining
Afghanistan’s peace and security.
On Oct 8, ISIS-K claimed
responsibility for a suicide bombing at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in Kunduz
Province, that killed more than 40 people and injured 143 others.
The mosque is frequently
visited by Shia Muslims. According to ISIS-K, the attack was aimed at both Shia
Muslims and the Taliban, who appeared to be willing to deport Uighur Muslims.
Since the Taliban took power,
similar violent attacks against Shia Muslims and other minorities have
intensified. Following a 20-year insurgency, these attacks severely erode the
Taliban’s legitimacy as a guarantor of a competent administration.
The question is whether the
Taliban is sincere enough to follow through on its commitments under the Doha
Agreement. Plus, will Qatar play a pivotal role in pressuring the Taliban to
adhere to the agreement?
ISIS-K, more radical than
Taliban?
ISIS-K is a regional affiliate
of Islamic State that operates mostly in Afghanistan. With the exodus of
Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), Al Qaeda, and Taliban fighters active in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, ISIS-K filled the void in 2014.
ISIS-K is an Islamic State
“wilayah” or province, and Khorasan refers to a historical territory that
spanned in areas covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, and Iran.
Pakistan was initially added
to the original group until a separate Pakistan section was established in May
2019.
According to the Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report, this terrorist outfit
carried out 83 operations between January 2020 and July 2021, killing 309
people.
Since January last year there
have been 13 attacks or violent skirmishes against Taliban forces.
ISIS-K considers almost
everyone as its adversaries and has attacked Afghan security forces, its
politicians and ministries, the Taliban, religious minorities like as Shiites
and Sikhs, US and NATO troops, and foreign aid organisations.
This group reportedly also
targetted girls’ schools, hospitals and even a maternity facility, killing
pregnant women and nurses.
They operate in eastern
Afghanistan, particularly provinces such as Nangahar, Kunar, Jowzjan, Paktia,
Kunduz, and Herat, which are near to a drug and human trafficking routes into
and out of Pakistan.
It is the most extreme and
violent of Afghanistan’s Islamist insurgent groups to date.
Moreover, it even considers
Taliban terrorists as “apostates”, making their assassination “permissible” in
their eyes.
This group also accuses the
Taliban of giving up on jihad and the battlefield, in favour of a negotiated
peace agreement.
ISIS-K, in my opinion, will
continue to pose a danger to the Taliban rule, and the tribal structure will
make it more difficult for them to rule Afghanistan effectively.
The destruction of the
Caliphate in Iraq and Syria will give a framework for them to build another
Caliphate in this region.
The persistent influx of
foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) into ISIS-K is evidence that the fight
between the Taliban and ISIS-K will be Afghanistan’s next civil war. – Oct 25,
2021.
Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/war-torn-afghanistan-key-terror-groups-butchering-for-supremacy-part-1/
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