ISIS Calls Taliban ‘Apostates,’ Dismisses Afghan Take Over as a ‘Delusional Victory’

The Taliban has fought against the local ISIS affiliate with US air support

ISIS has come out against the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan, declaring the Taliban “apostates” in a weekly newspaper released by the group, according to Arab media reports.

According to a report from Arabi21, ISIS accused the Taliban of implementing a “deficient” version of Sharia law when they previously ruled over parts of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. ISIS slammed the Taliban for negotiating with the US in Doha, Qatar, which led to the US withdrawal.

“The victory of Islam will not come via hotels in Qatar nor the embassies in Iran and China,” ISIS said Thursday in its newspaper Al-Naba. “The victory signed and protected by the US and Qatar and its media, and hailed by Syria, Iran’s scholars and the Muslim Brotherhood is delusional!”

It’s no secret that the Taliban and ISIS are sworn enemies. The Taliban has fought battles against a Central Asian ISIS affiliate known as ISIS-K, which was started by Pakistani militants who previously fought under the umbrella of the Tehrik-e Taleban Pakistan (TTP).

The US has actually provided air support for the Taliban while they were fighting against ISIS in Afghanistan’s northeast Kunar province. A unit of the US Joint Special Operations Command was flying drones in support of the Taliban that called themselves the “Taliban Air Force.”

On Thursday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said while the US is evacuating people from the Kabul airport, it is “laser-focused” on a possible ISIS-K attack. “One of the contingencies we are very focused on, laser-focused on, is the potential for a terrorist attack by a group like ISIS-K, which of course is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, so we will keep working to minimize the risks and maximize the number of people on planes,” he said.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.