The US pullout from Afghanistan led to a lot of concern about the ongoing presence of ISIS-K in the post-war country. This weekend, ISIS-K took credit for a pair of attacks in one of their major strongholds, Jalalabad.
ISIS-K has ideological differences with the Taliban, and the two sides were fighting even before the US pullout. Now that Afghanistan is Taliban-run, they’re the main target for ISIS forces.
This weekend saw no less than six IED attacks in Jalalabad, with 35 Taliban casualties, along with several civilian bystanders killed and wounded. The Taliban announced an investigation into the matter.
US operations against ISIS-K almost exclusively centered on Nangarhar Province, which is where Jalalabad is. This tended to involve copious airstrikes, ISIS fleeing the area, and then returning after the US declared them wiped out. As this weekend proves, they remain operationally capable.
In addition to attacks in Jalalabad, a car bombing was reported Sunday morning in Kabul. Two people were reported wounded. It’s not clear if this was ISIS-K as well, though it could well be, and the group seems to be looking to step up its presence across Afghanistan.
I am sure the Taliban will get all the assistance from both China in the west Russia in the north and Iran in the east to destroy ISIS, the latter being assisted by the US, same as in Syria.
That’s what Russia thought in 1979.
US imported ISIS-K from Iraq and Syria into Afghanistan…!
This “ISIS” has no ideological angle. It has one purpose in Afghanistan — and that is disrupting peace. ISIS was brought in from Syria, as former President Karzai said.
Now, they must have an underwriter, as no soldiers work without pay, accommodations, transport and weapons.
We know for certain that ideology is not the issue. Because this “ISIS” has no followers, holds no territory. They are organized in small cells, raising no suspicion wherever they go; this is why they are hiding in the city, as anywhere else would be conspicuous.
They have capacity for hit and run type of terror attacks. There are no suicide bombers among them. Unless they find a victim to carry
a backpack to someone. These are cold blooded mercenaries.
Taliban will have to deal with them, and will have help in the neighborhood. But it will take a while for intelligence cooperation in the region that will identify suppliers, financiers, recruiters.
Will happen eventually.
Remember Iraqi army being ambushed by ISIS that obviously knew their movements? Many soldiers were executed— to create fear in Iraqi army soldiers. And Iraq was losing territory to ISIS. Big cities fell — Sinjar, Kirkuk, Mosul, all the way down to Fallujah. Daily bombings in Baghdad.
After Iraq established an intelligence center in Baghdad with Iran and Russia, things immediately changed.
Iraq finally defeated ISIS, but US insisted on an escape plan to Syria. Once Raqqa fell, ISIS
fighters gathered in former refugee camp.
Then on to other employment.
Naive. ISIS/Al Qaeda’s purpose is the same as it was in the 1980s. To draw in a chosen empire and drain it of blood and treasure. If China wants to come right in, welcome!
As I have been saying, the US is not leaving Afghanistan. It is going covert. ISIS is the US covert army. As you can see, these are Arabs and not Afghanis. Same situation as the 1980s. But this time ISIS is going after Iran and China. Come on into Bagram, China!