Islamic State in Afghanistan

Fighters Against ISIS. The world's attention is captured by the Islamic State's brutality and ability to carry out attacks through its fighters and surrogates around the world - as evidenced by the recent attacks in Indonesia, Libya, Paris and elsewhere. And of course, there is the huge presence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. However, those that fight against ISIS also travel the globe in the fight against this (and other) terrorist group. Some do so in their capacity with the military (those of the U.S., Britain, France, Australian, Finland, and many other countries) while others do this in a private capacity. One example is Kat Argo, a female veteran of the U.S. Army who did a stint in Afghanistan, later returned to Kabul in a private capacity, and now can be found working in Northern Iraq with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Read more in a news report by The Havok Journal, February 6, 2016. (Note: I had the occasion to work alongside Kat briefly in Afghanistan - a remarkable young woman!).

ISG in Afghanistan. Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has published a short paper with an analysis of the "Islamic State Group" (ISG) in Afghanistan. Read "Afghan Taliban contain Islamic State's regional reach", Oxford Analytica Daily Brief, November 17, 2015.

Islamic State in Khorasan. "Daesh has established a foothold in Afghanistan, but its rivalry with the Taliban means its success is far from assured". Read an analysis by Antonio Giustozzi, Associate Fellow at RUSI.org entitled The Islamic State in 'Khorasan': a nuanced view, February 5, 2016.

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