he Taliban’s public denialism about the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISK) apart, the new rulers of Afghanistan appear to be waking up to the threat posed by the fanatically puritanical group that has made its presence felt in the war-torn country
so
soon after the change of guard.
In their private meetings, key Taliban officials acknowledge ISK as their biggest security challenge right now, The Truth International (TTI) can report. A long array of statements by former Afghan soldiers, Northern Alliance, and Hazara fighters have surfaced recently, saying they are joining the ISK.
The concentration and attacks by the ISK in northern Afghanistan have troubled Russia as well as China. Russian President Putin has expressed his concerns in his latest statement. He pointed out the danger and stressed that Afghanistan’s neighbours should work together for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.
“According to our intelligence, the number of (ISIS) members alone in northern
Afghanistan is about 2,000 people,” the Russian leader said during a video conference meeting with leaders of other ex-Soviet states.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s recent visit to Kabul with DG ISI Faiz Hameed was also in this context.
Afghan Taliban are looking to the Pakistani government, along with Afghanistan’s other neighbors, to improve the trade and security situation. Pakistan has recently taken an important step by opening the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham.
Eighty percent of Afghanistan currently depends on the border routes with Pakistan. Not only has this facilitated the Afghan nationals’ movement, but it has also boosted trade.
On the flip side, Pakistan is suffering the repercussions of the situation in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar, bordering Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, from the south to the north of KP.
For the past two weeks, the Taliban have
been waging a full-scale campaign against ISK fighters and their facilitators. Sources believe that the exchange of information between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also been clarified for the operation against ISK across the border.
Although some religious circles in Afghanistan are calling it a campaign to target the scholar and followers of the Ahl-e-Hadith school of thought. Pressure on the Afghan Taliban to take action against ISK increased after suicide bombings in Kunduz and Kandahar.
A major battle was fought in Herat city, which the Taliban said was against the kidnappers, but locals confirmed that the eight people killed in the operation were known fighters of ISK.
The presence of ISK in the north of Afghanistan has worried Central Asian states as well as China and Iran. Western media reported about the presence of a Chinese military base in Tajikistan close to Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, which shares a border with China.
Activities at that base by China and Tajikistan have increased since the Kunduz base suicide attack – carried out by an Uyghur Chinese Muslim. In addition, there are large numbers of anti-China Islamic fighters in the Afghan areas bordering China.
Russia has already increased its presence on the Afghan border. Russian and Tajik troops conducted joint drills in October near Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan, as part of efforts to prepare for possible security threats issuing from Afghanistan.
Iran has recently appointed Hassan Kazemi-Ghomi as its special envoy to Afghanistan. Diplomat Hassan Kazmi has long experience in the war in Iraq and later in dealing with ISIS in Iraq.
Referring to ISK, Taliban sources in Kabul said that many ISK fighters are present in the ranks of the Taliban, which is why the Taliban have issued instructions to conduct background checks on their fighters.
Former government sources have even claimed that ISK leader Dr Shahab al-Muhajir himself has taken refuge among the Taliban. The former Afghan officials believe he is an Afghan who studied at the Kabul Polytechnic Institute and his name according to his Afghan voter card is Sanaullah. However, independent sources have denied this.
ISK has made its strategy such that it is not limited to any one region, province or city, but has made its presence felt in almost every major city of the country. The twin suicide blasts in Kandahar were of special significance in this regard as Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban.
On the global front, the biggest challenge for the Taliban at the moment is to secure recognition for their government. The international community has not yet recognised them.
A key step before recognising this government is to remove Taliban leaders from the blacklist. It is impossible to accept a government consisting of these leaders, without removing them from the blacklist.
There is no doubt that the Afghan Taliban can fight ISK. Taliban are currently conducting a full-scale operation against ISK with their intelligence-based informa-
tion. The Afghan Taliban’s own experience of guerrilla war is coming in handy to deal with the ISK threat.
In their heyday, the Taliban were unmatchable in carrying suicide attacks as a war tool. Perhaps with this in mind, Taliban leader Siraj Haqqani held a gathering in Kabul for the families of suicide bombers. He emphasised that the suicide bombers had played a key role in defeating the United States and its allies.
Therefore, the Afghan Taliban are also aware of the war of suicide bombers and obviously, they better know how to deal with it.
But there is another challenge for the Taliban right now and that is their deteriorating economy. Afghanistan’s economy is being hit hard by international sanctions.
Until their government has international recognition, the Taliban will continue to face economic problems. The international community has not yet restored their global accounts. Russia has recently demanded that Afghan Taliban leaders be removed from the blacklist.
Not only Pakistan but also other countries in the region are supporting the Afghan Taliban. Neighbouring countries in particular are trying to ease the situation because all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, agree that without a peaceful Afghanistan, their peace is directly threatened. Even India has begun effective contact with the Afghan Taliban.
Since the country’s rapid takeover by the Taliban in mid-August, foreign aid to Afghanistan has almost entirely dried up, leaving the country on the brink of collapse.
Funding from the international community
– including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, foreign governments, and humanitarian agencies – accounted for nearly 75 percent of Afghanistan’s public expenditure budget before the Taliban’s rise to power.
The healthcare system has been particularly hard hit, with USD 600 million in international healthcare aid now frozen. Most departments do not even have salaries to pay their employees. This is leading to a food crisis.
The world must realise that anti-peace forces in Afghanistan will take advantage of
this situation. Islamic State is one such movement, which is an imminent threat to peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The ISK is running a full-fledged recruitment campaign. They are inviting not only the Afghan Taliban but also former Afghan military personnel to join their rank and files. Experts believe that if not addressed soon, the situation can devolve into chaos which can engulf the whole of Afghanistan. The world at large in general and neighbouring countries in particular would do well to remember that if left unchecked, the turmoil threatening Afghanistan today could spread to other countries tomorrow.
