Sunday, July 19, 2015

ISIS in Afghanistan

The Islamic State (IS) or ISIS has been making some inroads into Afghanistan. Some alarmists see IS as a huge threat while others discount the ability of IS to actually take have a significant impact. Obviously the Afghan government and security forces are paying attention as well as Resolute Support headquarters and the Taliban. Some news reports on ISIS in Afghanistan can be found below.

Brian Perkins writes that the expansion of IS in Afghanistan could threaten the fledgling mining industry in The Diplomat (June 28th).

The June 2015 issue of the CTC Sentinel (Combating Terrorism Center at West Point) has an article entitled "The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Opens a Door to the Islamic State".

The IMU has a big presence in northern Afghanistan and its alliance with IS is a big concern. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) says that it has established a special force to combat the emergence of IS in Afghanistan (Khaama Press, Jul 2, 2015). In early July the NDS reported that the number two leader of IS was killed during an airstrike in Nangarhar (Tolo News, Jul 7, 2015).

Hezb-e-Islami and ISIS. The leader of the Afghan insurgent group Hezb-e-Islami (Hekmatyar) has come out in favor of the Islamic State over the Taliban (Military.com, Jul 7, 2015).

ISIS Plans to Attack US Forces. A recent article in The Hill Blog (Jul 10, 2015) states that members of ISIS in Afghanistan are planning to attack coalition personnel.

Key IS Figures Killed in Drone Attacks. The U.S. is hitting the ISIS leadership in Afghanistan in a series of drone attacks. (The Washington Post, Jul 9, 2015)

Afghan Fighters in Syria. The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has published a story about Afghan citizens fighting for the Syrian army. (June 26, 2015).

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