Inspired by ISIS Success, Young Afghans Turning Away From Taliban

Students See Taliban as Too Political

For young jihad-minded students in Afghanistan, joining the Taliban or one of its associated groups has long been a no-brainer. They are, after all, one of the longest-standing such groups in the world.

But the ISIS bandwagon is growing even in remote Afghanistan, with students seeing the large territory ISIS has carved out in such a short time, and seeing the Taliban as comparatively feckless.

The Taliban are more of a political movement but Daesh (ISIS) is purely Islamic,” noted one of several students who are forming pro-ISIS student groups in the nation.

In the near-term, NATO occupation forces may see this as a gain, as it means the Taliban’s recruitment isn’t going as well as it once was. Ultimately, however, it may either force the Taliban into a reformation toward more extreme, ISIS-style doctrines, or simply result in ISIS becoming the dominant faction in yet another nation.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.