Islamic State in Afghanistan

EU Rep: Defeating ISIS in Afghanistan. Ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin, the Special Representative of the European Union in Afghanistan, spells out his views on how we need to defeat the Islamic State in Afghanistan. The ISIS threat has been upgraded from 'nascent' to 'operationally emergent'. Early efforts to stem the ISIS movement (using drones, Afghan SOF, and tribal engagement) worked very effectively; however, the group has proven that it is resilient. An immediate counter-strategy is needed to counter the continued growth and development of ISIS in Afghanistan. Read more in "We got ISIS wrong in Syria, let's get it right in Afghanistan", Times Live, September 29, 2015.

IS Making Inroads. A senior State Department official said that the U.S. is concerned about the Islamic State group's efforts to establish a stronghold in Afghanistan. This follows a United Nations report stating the same. Read "Islamic State Inroads in Afghanistan Concern US", Voice of American, September 26, 2015.

Islamic State

"One important effect of the Taliban's confirmation of Mullah Omar's death is that it may allow the Islamic State militant group to expand in Afghanistan, an area which the latter organization refers to as part of Wilayat Khurasan, which covers Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian republics. This expansion is in line with the group's strategic vision of global expansion."

Read more in "Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar's Death", Terrorism Monitor, Volume 13, Issue 18, September 3, 2015. Jamestown Foundation.

IS hungry for Afghan Territory. "Homegrown militants loyal to the Islamic State group are making inroads into Afghanistan, controlling territory in some parts of the country and ruling with the harsh hand the group is notorious for in Iraq and Syria, according to officials, military leaders and analysts". Learn more in "IS loyalists seen eyeing a presence in Afghanistan, hungry for territory and assets", Fox News, September 8, 2015.

IS Infighting? "Incidents of violent infighting between Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria and Iraq are on the rise with rifts developing between elements within the terrorist group and arguments erupting over the distribution of spoils, sex slaves and cash . . ." Read more in "Infighting Among IS Extremists on the Rise", Voice of America, September 11, 2015.

Is ISIL Winning? "At the tenth anniversary of 9/11, it seemed like we had terrorism on the run; Osama in Laden was dead, the Taliban was defeated and officials like director Leon Panetta had proclaimed al Qaeda all but finished. But as we mark on Friday the 14th anniversary of the devastating attacks on the United States, it's time to admit that the terrorists - at least one specific branch of terrorists - are now winning. And it's time to admit that our reponse to the so-called Islamic State has been an abject failure". Read more by Bruce Hoffman in "ISIL is Winning", Politico Magazine, September 10, 2015.

ISIS Kills Mullah in Nangarhar. "The loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group executed a Mullah Imam in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan". The incident took place in the Achin district. (Khaama Press, Sep 11, 2015).

How does the Islamic State Recruit? Watch a video and learn. Provided by The New York Times, August 21, 2015. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/21/world/videos-isis-recruits.html

Islamic State Prisons in Afghanistan? According to one news report the Islamic State is running private prisons in three areas of Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Most of the prisoners are members of the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and the Afghan Local Police. Read more in "Islamic State Running Prisons Inside Afghanistan", Voice of America, September 9, 2015.

Islamic State

Uzbekistan & Islamic State. The United States has asked Uzbekistan to join the multinational coalition fighting the Islamic State group. Read more in a news report by Radio Free Europe, August 28, 2015.

Airpower and ISIS. A.C. Hall, a member of the special operations community, has penned a paper calling for battlefield innovation from tactical leaders in the employment of airpower against ISIS. Read his paper posted on Small Wars Journal, August 27, 2015.

Paper - U.S. Policy in Afghanistan and ISIS. Thomas F. Lynch, III has wrote a paper entitled "After ISIS: Fully Reappraising U.S. Policy in Afghanistan", The Washington Quarterly, August 3, 2015. The author contends that the residual U.S. military presence in Afghanistan should be scoped to ". . . a size and posture able to address the intractable dilemmas that remain."

Central Asian Groups & Global Jihad. Two different Central Asian jihadist groups are at odds with each other. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) have been allied with al Qaeda in the past but are now ". . . taking different sides in the ongoing struggle between the Islamic State and al Qaeda for the leadership of the global jihad." Read more in "Central Asian groups split over leadership of global jihad", The Long War Journal, August 24, 2015.

Islamic State in Afghanistan

IS to Benefit from Fractured Taliban. Some analysts believe that that the Islamic State in Afghanistan will benefit from the unrest and confusion within the Taliban ranks (and leadership) as a result of the succession battle since the announced death of Mullah Omar. Mullah Omar was one jihadist that could compete with Abu Bakr al-Baghydadi - the leader of the Islamic State. Read more in "ISIS stands to gain from Taliban crisis", The Guardian, August 10, 2015.

Taliban Unhappy with IS. Afghanistan's Taliban is disenchanted with the Islamic State's video that shows IS militants blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives. The video was supposedly shot in eastern Afghanistan but confirmation of its being authentic is still ongoing. Of course, there was no mention in the Taliban statement of its own brutal history of beheading and killing innocent civilians and captured Afghan soldiers and policemen. (Radio Free Europe, Aug 12, 2015)

U.S. General Says IS Gaining in Afghanistan. A recent news report says that BG Wilson Shoffner said the Islamic State is increasing their capabilities in Afghanistan. Read more in "US General Says Islamic State Gaining in Afghanistan", AP, August 13, 2015.

Islamic State in Afghanistan

IMU Supports IS. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has reportedly sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. This information comes from a video posted by the IMU-controlled Furqon TV on July 31st. Read more in "IMU Pledges Allegiance to Islamic State", Inside the Cocoon - Eurasianet.org, August 1, 2015. www.eurasianet.org/node/74471

ISIS in Afghanistan

Almost every one's favorite topic lately is the threat of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Some critics say that the threat is over-exaggerated while others see potential for some big problems ahead. It is hard to figure out the real story from unclassified news sources but sometimes it makes for interesting reading. As an example - a recent news story from Overt Action suggests that the Taliban is providing the intelligence for the U.S. to target ISIS in Afghanistan from the air using armed drones. Read more in "Who is Providing America the Intelligence Needed to Target ISIS . . . in Afghanistan", July 20, 2015.

Campbell on ISIS. On another note, the head of the Resolute Support mission, General John Campbell, says the threat of ISIS in Afghanistan could delay the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan (Military.com, Jul 20, 2015). See also "Islamic State could trip up U.S. plans to leave Afghanistan", Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2015. General Campbell recently held an emergency meeting with President Ghani on the ISIS threat.

Ghani and ISIS. General Campbell says that President Ghani is concerned about ISIS and is in favor of a partnership with the U.S. on counterterrorism. Campbell says that the ISIL threat is ". . .probably operationally emergent . . . ".  (DoD News, Jul 19, 2015).

U.S. in Search of ISIS Strategy. It is readily apparent to any casual observer that the United States strategy of confronting ISIS in Iraq and Syria is muddled and ineffective. A growing concern is the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. Recently the head of Hezbi-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has instructed his followers to start supporting ISIS. So it appears that ISIS in Afghanistan is becoming a major concern for the Afghan government as well as the international forces (Resolute Support) that are propping up the Afghan military and government. While ISIS in Afghanistan has suffered some leadership losses in the form of U.S. airstrikes (and drone attacks) it is a hard learned lesson that airstrikes alone do not win a counterinsurgency effort. So one wonders what the U.S. strategy for ISIS in Afghanistan will look like in the months ahead. Read more in a news report by The Independent, July 23, 2015.

Jihadology Podcast. Don Rassler, of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, was interviewed by the team at Lawfare Blog on the emergence of the Islamic State in AfPak on July 21st and July 23rd. You can listen to part one and part two on the Lawfare Blog website.

ISIS in Afghanistan?

The Islamic State has been blamed for and they took credit for the killing of 35 and wounding of over a hundred residents of Jalalabad, Afghanistan in a suicide bombing. (see Military Times story, Apr 18, 2015). In a statement, a group calling itself the "Province of Khorasan", provided the name and photo of the suicide bomber who conducted the attack. Many observers have raised the alarm about the growth of ISIS in Afghanistan while others say it is simply a scattering of independent groups of insurgents changing one insurgent flag for another. In a recent press report from Khaama Press (April 20, 2015) it appears that the two insurgent groups - the Taliban and ISIS - have declared Jihad against each other. One analyst, Michael Kugelman, says that the Jalalabad attack won't be the last (DW.de, Apr 220, 2015).

Anthony Cordesman is interviewed about ISIS in Afghanistan in a five-minute video posted on Public Broadcasting System (PBS). He says that there is a lack of stability due to an Afghan government that is not governing and an Afghan security force that has not met expectation. Watch "Threat of terror groups builds following ISIS suicide bombing in Afghanistan", April 18, 2015.

The possible growth of ISIS in Afghanistan needs to be taken seriously. By all accounts, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is extremely organized and well-led. Documents recently recovered showed a sophisticated plan for the growth of ISIS in Syria followed by a push into Iraq. The detailed plans for the organizing of an intelligence structure are an indication of the advanced planning conducted for the establishment of the Caliphate. Learn more about the intelligence structure of ISIS in a very detailed report by Spiegel Online International (April 18, 2015). Should ISIS attain a foothold in Afghanistan it is very likely that this sophisticated organization will prove to be a formidable opponent.

Map of Islamic State Presence in Afghanistan

There is a lot of apprehension about whether the Islamic State (IS) will be able to establish a significant presence in Afghanistan. While initial reports by Resolute Support HQs indicate that IS is not yet a significant problem other observers seem more concerned. The Long War Journal has published a news article on IS in Afghanistan with an accompanying map. Interesting reading. See "Mapping the emergence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan", March 5, 2015.

Farah - Afghanistan's Wild West

With the departure of international troops from Farah province the Taliban and other insurgent and criminal groups are consolidating their control. The drug trade has picked up significantly and Afghan government control of much of the province has eroded. Read more in "Awash in opium, Afghan 'wild west' slips from Kabul's grasp", DNA India, February 18, 2015.

Islamic State to Conduct Opns in Afghanistan

It appears that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has declared it will step up operations in Afghanistan. While it may be mostly bluster the declaration provided in a 16-minute video released over the weekend will be sure to attract the attention of the Resolute Support headquarters and the Afghan government. Read more in "Islamic State Adds to Terror in Afghanistan", The Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2015. In a related story some Afghan officials (a provincial governor and ANA general) say that ISIS is recruiting in the 215th ANA Corps area of Nimroz and Helmand province. Read "Afghan Officials Say Islamic State group operating in south", Stars and Stripes, January 12, 2015.

ISIS in Afghanistan

Observers are carefully watching the international moves that the Islamic State (or ISIS or ISIL) is making in regards to Afghanistan (and Pakistan). Read more in "ISIS Makes Inroads in Afghanistan, Pakistan", Foreign Policy, September 30, 2014.

Possible Linkage b/t Taliban and Islamic State

There are some reports of a possible linkage between the Islamic State (Syria and Iraq) and insurgent groups in Afghanistan. Local Afghan officials in southeastern Ghazni province have concerns based recent proclamations of Taliban militants. An Afghan news media outlet provides more info; read more in "Islamic State expanding activities in Ghazni province", Khaama.com, September 26, 2014.