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Islamic State–Taliban conflict

December 14, 2023

Islamic State–Taliban conflict
Part of the Afghan conflict and the war on terror

Islamic State fighters who have surrendered to the Taliban after Battle of Darzab
Date2 February 2015 – present
(8 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Afghanistan (mainly Nangarhar, Kunar and Jowzjan provinces)[18][19]
Status

Ongoing

  • Initial Taliban victories in the battles of Darzab and Nangarhar[20]
  • Collapse of the Islamic State stronghold in eastern Afghanistan in 2019[21]
  • Taliban takes control of most of the former Islamic Republic territory in 2021
  • IS-KP regains strength in eastern Afghanistan following Taliban takeover[22]
  • IS-KP rebellion in eastern Afghanistan suppressed[11]
  • Continued IS-KP guerilla warfare and insurgent attacks, including cross-border into Pakistan[11]
Belligerents

 Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda[2]
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (pro-Taliban & anti-IS factions)[3]

Supported by:
 United States (limited)[4][5][6][7]
 Iran (alleged)[8][9]
 Russia (alleged)[10]
 Pakistan (alleged)[11]

 Islamic State

Mullah Dadullah Front[13] (until 2016)
Fidai Mahaz[14]

Supported by:
High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (HCIEA)[15] (until 2021)[16][17]
 India (Alledged support for Fidai Mahaz in Afghanistan)
Commanders and leaders
Formerly:

Shahab al-Muhajir[33]
Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman[34]
Ismatullah Khalozai[35]
Sultan Aziz Azam[35]
Maulawi Rajab[35]
Najibullah

Formerly:
Units involved

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan forces

Islamic State – Khorasan Province forces

Strength

Taliban:

Khorasan Province and its allies:
1,000–8,500 fighters (2016)[a]
2,000–3,500 fighters (2021)[24][53]
HCIEA:
3,000–3,500[57]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

1,547 overall deaths (2015–2020)[58]

3,774 overall deaths (2021–2023)[59]

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015.[26] Since then, the Taliban and IS-KP have engaged in clashes over the control of territory, mostly in eastern Afghanistan, but clashes have also occurred between the Taliban and IS-KP cells which are located in the north-west and south-west.

The Haqqani network, al-Qaeda and others support the Taliban, while IS is supported by the Mullah Dadullah Front and the pro-ISIS faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. After the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021, several members of the Afghan intelligence agency and the Afghan national army have also joined the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.[51][50] In February 2022, Pakistani officials acknowledged that ongoing violence was destabilizing the region.[60] The High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, previously a breakaway Taliban faction, announced after the 2021 fall of Kabul that they have pledged allegiance to the Taliban and will dissolve.[61][62]

Background edit

During their original stint in power of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the ruling Taliban had pursued a policy of suppressing Salafism; motivated by strict Deobandi tenets. During this period, the main issue of Salafist scholars was that Taliban was led by Maturidi Sufis. As a result of the unofficial Taliban bans on Ahl-i Hadith during the 1996-2001 era, several Salafis had shifted to Peshawar. However, after the US-led Invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban and Ahl-i Hadith allied to wage a common Jihad to resist the invasion. The Afghan Salafists decided to put aside their differences with the Taliban to join them in the “greater jihad” against the United States. Several Arab Salafis in Al-Qaeda rank and file would mediate the disputes between Afghan Salafists and Taliban; enabling them to unify for the more important religious duty of fighting against the U.S and its allies in Afghanistan. Many Salafi commanders and Ahl-i Hadith organisations participated in the Taliban insurgency (2001–2021) under Afghan Taliban's command.[63][64]

During the Taliban insurgency, in January 2015, IS established itself in Khorasan and formed IS-K.[65] The main objective of IS-K was to occupy the land of Khorasan, that includes the country of Afghanistan.[66] Even though the initial IS-K was formed by Taliban as well as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) defectors and thus ideologically similar, it became dominated by Salafists.[67] The disgruntled members of TTP would establish IS-KP and shifted to the Nangarhar province. After its founding Pakistani leaders who defected from TTP were killed in US drone strikes, Afghan Salafists took charge of TTP.[68]

The emergence of IS-K provided militant Afghan Salafists with an opportunity to set up a rival force, although Salafist support for the group waned as it proved ideologically "too extreme and brutal" for most Afghan Salafis.[69] As a result, the majority of Afghan Salafis have remained supportive of the Taliban. In March 2020, major Pashtun Ahl-i Hadith ulema convened in Peshawar under the leadership of Shaikh Abdul Aziz Nooristani and Haji Hayatullah to pledge Bay'ah (oath of loyalty) to the Taliban and publicly condemn IS-K. The scholars also requested protection from the Afghan Taliban for the Ahl-i Hadith community.[70]

After Taliban victory in the War in Afghanistan and restoration of the Islamic Emirate, hundreds of Ahl-i Hadith ulema would gather to announce their Bay'ah (pledge of allegiance) to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Numerous Ahl-i Hadith clerics and their representatives held gatherings across various provinces of Afghanistan to re-affirm their backing of the Taliban and officially declare their support to the Taliban crackdown on IS-K.[71]

Opposing forces edit

By 2016, IS-K mostly consisted of eastern Afghans, Pakistanis, and foreign fighters from Central Asia. The latter were mainly former members of the Islamic Jihad Union and the Turkistan Islamic Party. In addition, there were a small number of Arabs.[55] Throughout its existence, IS-K has operated in a very limited area, mainly concentrated in select provinces in eastern Afghanistan,[55] most importantly Nangarhar and Kunar.[72] By 2016, it had appointed shadow governors in other regions as well, but not exerted much influence outside its traditional bases.[55] The group is known to receive support by the Islamic State's central command in form of money[12] and combat trainers from Iraq and Syria.[72] IS-K's combat strength has fluctuated greatly over the years, but has mostly remained in the low thousands.[55]

During the Taliban insurgency edit

2015 edit

On 2 February, militants affiliated with IS-K killed Abdul Ghani, a Taliban commander, in Logar province.[26]

On 26 May, Asif Nang, governor of Farah province, said the Taliban have been fighting against IS militants for the past three days in Farah province. The clash left 10 Taliban and 15 IS militants dead.[73]

In May, IS-K militants captured Maulvi Abbas, a Taliban commander who was leading a small squad of insurgent fighters in Nangarhar province.[74]

In June, IS-K militants beheaded 10 Taliban fighters who were fleeing an Afghan military offensive according to a spokesman of Afghan army corps responsible for the region.[74]

On 9 November, fighting had broken out between different Taliban factions in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. Fighters loyal to the new Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour began to fight a pro-IS faction, led by Mullah Mansoor Dadullah. According to Afghan security and local officials, Akhtar Mansour had sent as many as 450 Taliban fighters to crush Mullah Mansoor and Islamic State elements in Zabul.[13] Dadullah's faction received support from IS during the clashes, and IS fighters also joined in on the fighting alongside Dadullah, including foreign fighters from Chechnya and Uzbekistan. Dadullah and IS were eventually defeated by Mansour's forces.[75] Hajji Momand Nasratyar, the district governor of Arghandab, said the fighting took place in three districts of Zabul province and 86 IS militants and 26 Taliban fighters were killed in the clash. Taliban also reported to have killed several IS militants who were responsible for beheading of seven Hazara civilians a few days back.[13]

Hajji Atta Jan, the Zabul provincial council chief, said the offensive by Mullah Mansour's fighters was so intense, that at least three Islamic State commanders, all of them ethnic Uzbeks, had surrendered. They were also asking others IS militants to do the same.[13] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, while quoting sources from Southern Afghanistan, reported that some 70 IS militants were also captured in the clash by the Taliban.[76]

On 13 November, Ghulam Jelani Farahi, an Afghan police chief, said that Mullah Mansoor Dadullah was killed in a clash with Taliban.[45]

2016 edit

In January, hundreds of Taliban fighters launched an assault against IS bases in eastern Afghanistan. Taliban fighters were successful in capturing two districts from IS in eastern Afghanistan, but it failed to drive the group out of their stronghold in the Nazyan district in Nangarhar province.[77] Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that 26 IS militants and 5 Taliban fighters were killed in the clashes in Nangarhar.[78]

On 2 February, US carried out airstrikes targeting IS radio station in eastern Afghanistan. The strike destroyed the radio station and killed 29 IS militants.[79]

In March, Taliban factions led by Muhammad Rasul and opposed to Mansoor, began to fight against his loyalists in the group. During the fighting, dozens were reported killed.[80]

On 26 April, Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal, a provincial police spokesman, said that 10 IS militants, including an IS commander, and 6 Taliban fighters were killed in a clash in Nangarhar. 15 IS militants and 4 Taliban fighters were also wounded during the same clash according to the spokesman.[81]

On 19 May, local government officials reported that a clash took place between IS and Taliban in Achin and Khogyani district of Nangarhar province. 15 IS militants and 3 Taliban fighters were killed in Achin district, and the remaining were killed in Khogyani. 4 Taliban commanders were also among the dead.[82]

On 13 August, US defence officials said that ISIL's top leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan, was killed in a drone strike on 26 July in Nangarhar province.[83]

On 30 October, Ajmal Zahid, a governor of Golestan district, said that ISIL's commander, Abdul Razaq Mehdi, was killed by Taliban fighters in Farah province.[84]

2017 edit

On 13 April 2017, the United States dropped[85] the largest non-nuclear bomb, known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) Mother of All Bombs near Momand village[86] upon a Nangahar's Achin District village in eastern Afghanistan to destroy tunnel complexes used by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP or ISIS-K).[87][88][89] The Guardian reported that following the strike, US and Afghan forces conducted clearing operations and airstrikes in the area and assessed the damage.[90]

On 26 April, a fight occurred after IS captured 3 drug dealers who were involved in selling opium for the Taliban in Jowzjan Province. An Afghan National Police spokesman stated that the Taliban attacked IS in response, saying "The clashes erupted when group of armed Taliban attacked Daesh militants [to secure] the release of 3 drug smugglers who came here to pay 10 million afghanis [$14,780] to the Taliban for a deal." The Taliban's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid had also confirmed clashes were ongoing with IS at the time, without providing details on the nature of the fight or reasons.[91] Mohammad Reza Ghafori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that the clashes between Taliban and IS-K had left 76 Taliban and 15 IS militants dead. IS militants also seized 2 districts from the Taliban, according to the spokesman.[92]

On 24 May, a clash between the Taliban and IS occurred, and at that time, it had reportedly been the largest clash between the two with 22 casualties, 13 of which were IS fighters, and 9 Taliban fighters, according to a Taliban official. The clashes occurred near Iran's border with Afghanistan. The Taliban had attacked an IS camp in the area, an IS commander, who was formerly a Taliban member, said that there was an agreement between the Taliban and IS not to attack each other until there was a dialogue. The commander claimed that the Taliban had violated the agreement and attacked the IS camp. The IS commander also claimed the attack was coordinated with the Iranian military, and that there were Iranians filming dead IS fighters. The Taliban splinter faction Fidai Mahaz has also criticized the Taliban for its relationship with Iran. Days before the battle, the Taliban reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss regional issues. A spokesman for Fidai Mahaz claimed the meeting was held at the request of the Taliban, as it was weary of the expansion of IS in the country, which also concerned the Iranian government. The spokesman also said that the Taliban received US$3 million in cash, 3,000 arms, 40 trucks, and the ammunition from Iran's intelligence services, in order to fight IS near the Iranian border, although a Taliban spokesman denied the allegations.[93][94]

On 27 November, Taliban executed one of its senior commanders for colluding with IS. A week before, IS fighters were mass executed by their fellow militants in Achin district, according to a provincial government spokesman. However, the spokesman did not provide any additional detail, and neither did IS release any official statement on killing its own members.[95]

2018 edit

Further information: Battle of Darzab (2018)
 
Surrendered Islamic State fighters after the Battle of Darzab.

On 20 June, after the talks between the Russian government and the Taliban, US assistant secretary of state Alice Wells condemned the Russian government's position on the Taliban that included backing for the group against IS, stating it gave the Taliban legitimacy and challenged the recognized Afghan government.[96]

In July, the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province. According to a surrendered IS commander, the Taliban had amassed 2,000 fighters for the offensive against IS. The fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who had sworn allegiance to IS, were also present fighting alongside IS against the Taliban. During the fighting, 3,500 to 7,000 civilians were displaced. By the end of July, IS's hold in the region was reduced to 2 villages, all thanks to the Taliban's campaign. In response, they requested support from the Afghan government, and also agreed to put down their arms in exchange for protection from the Taliban. The Afghan Air Force later carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in exchange for IS's surrender in the region. The agreement between the Afghan government and IS created controversy afterwards.[97][98] On 17 July, IS militants killed 15 Taliban militants and injured 5 others during a raid on a house belonging to a Taliban commander in Sar-e Pol. Abdul Qayuom Baqizoi, the police chief of Sar-e Pol, told Associated Press that Taliban and IS fighters have been fighting each other in Jowzjan and Sar-e Pol for more than two months, killing hundreds on both sides.[99]

In August, during the negotiations between the US government and the Taliban in Doha, the Taliban had requested that the US ends airstrikes on the Taliban, as well as provide support to the group in order to fight IS.[100]

2019 edit

On 22 June, clashes were reported in Kunar between the Taliban and IS, by an Afghan government official. The official also claimed that the Afghan military had killed some IS fighters in the area, and that the Taliban was active in the area as well.[101]

On 29 June, IS released photos of weapons captured from the Taliban.[102] On the same day, IS published a video of its fighters renewing their Bayah to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the video, fighters criticized the Taliban for engaging in peace talks and called upon Taliban fighters to join IS.[103]

On 1 August, the Amaq News Agency claimed that IS had killed 5 Taliban members during clashes in Kunar.[104]

On 1 October, IS claimed to have killed and wounded 20 Taliban fighters in Tora Bora.[105]

2020 edit

In March 2020, the Afghan Salafist Council under its emir, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Nooristani, met with Taliban leaders and pledged loyalty to their movement. Salafists had previously provided crucial support to IS-K, but recognized that the latter's position had greatly declined after its defeats in Nangarhar and Kunar.[106] The Salafist Council, represented by 32 scholars and military leaders, stated that they were in no way loyal to IS-K, and wanted to be left out of the Islamic State–Taliban conflict. The Taliban leadership accepted the pledge of loyalty, exploiting it in its propaganda.[107]

In October 2020, former Politico reporter Wesley Morgan revealed that United States special operations forces, longtime foes of the Taliban, had been conducting drone strikes against IS-K to give the Taliban an advantage in the field. According to Morgan, the operators were jokingly referred to as the "Taliban Air Force" and instead of communicating directly with Taliban commanders, they would monitor Taliban communications and decide when was the best time to strike.[108] On 10 December 2020, General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., head of U.S. Central Command, confirmed that the U.S. had assisted the Taliban via opportunistic drone strikes, saying that they did not coordinate operations with the Taliban, but took advantage of them fighting a "common enemy" to conduct their own operations. Gen. McKenzie said the strikes occurred several months prior when IS-K was holding ground in Nangarhar Province and elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan.[109]

After the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan edit

Renewed Islamic State attacks and anti-Salafist purge edit

Further information: 2021 Kabul airport attack and 2021 Kunduz mosque bombing

The Taliban finally succeeded in taking over Afghanistan from the Islamic Republic during a large-scale offensive in summer 2021. Kabul fell on 15 August 2021, prompting the leaders of the IS-K to denounce the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.[110] The Taliban immediately moved to contain or purge potential opponents, including Islamic State supporters and Salafists. Across the country, the Taliban ordered the closure of Salafist mosques seminaries and tried to arrest prominent Salafist scholars, prompting many to go into hiding. Among those targeted by the new Taliban authorities were Salafi clerics who had publicly opposed IS-K.[111] Researcher Abdul Sayed argued that the purge was probably organized by hardline anti-Salafist elements within the Taliban and more motivated by long-time resentment than fears about Salafi support for a future IS-K insurgency.[112] On 16 August, the Taliban claimed to have killed around 150 IS-K fighters, including its former chief Abu Umar Khurasani, while prisoners were being released from a jail in Kabul.[44] However, many IS-K militants were able to rejoin the IS-K ranks because of spree of prison breaks across the country organized by the Taliban.[44]

On 26 August, a suicide bombing and a mass shooting occurred near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.[113][114][115][116][117] The attack began hours after the United States' State Department told Americans outside the airport to leave due to a terrorist threat.[118] At least 185 people were killed in the attacks, including 13 U.S. service members.[119] The Taliban condemned the attack, saying "evil circles will be strictly stopped".[120] The Taliban later announced that they would take every possible measure to capture IS-KP leader Shahab al-Muhajir.[121] The same day, Saifullah Mohammed, Taliban's CID chief, told The Times that they had captured 6 militants belonging to IS-K following a gun battle in western side of Kabul.[122]

Taliban militants kidnapped the influential Salafi cleric, Mullah Abu Obaidullah Mutawakil on 28 August; he was "brutal[ly]" murdered one week later.[106] Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied the Taliban's role in the killing of Mutawakil, but also did not condemn the murder.[106] Even though Mutawakil was described as an IS-K sympathiser and a large number of his students were part of IS-K,[44] he had not officially backed the Islamic State. IS-K did not offer prayers for him after his demise, stating that he had not been loyal to the Islamic State's caliphate.[111] On 9 November 2021, Reuters journalist James MacKenzie stated that "frequent, smaller atrocities" in the conflict are "less commonly reported."[123] Aside from the ISIS stronghold of Nangarhar, other affected areas include Ghazni in central Afghanistan, Herat in the west, Balkh in the north, and Paktia, Paktika and Khost in the southeast.[123]

Islamic State insurgency edit

On 6 September, Neda Mohammad, a Taliban governor for Nangarhar province, vowed to continue fighting IS-K militants. Nangarhar province is a stronghold of IS-K and the governor says that since taking over Nangarhar, his forces had arrested 70–80 suspected militants belonging to IS-K in Nangarhar province.[25]

On 8 September, Taliban killed Farooq Bengalzai, an ISKP head for a Pakistan's province, in Nimroz, Afghanistan.[44]

On 18 September, 7 people were killed when 4 bombs planted by suspected IS-KP members exploded in Jalalabad targeting Taliban patrols.[124]

On 22 September, 2 Taliban fighters and a civilian were killed by ISIL gunmen who attacked a checkpoint in Ghawchak district of Jalalabad, security sources and witnesses said.[125]

On 1 October, Taliban forces raided an ISKP base in the city of Charikar, north of Kabul. The Taliban claimed they had killed and arrested a number of ISKP members.[126]

On 2 October, suspected ISKP militants shot dead 2 Taliban fighters and 2 civilians in Jalalabad.[127]

On 3 October, an explosion at the entrance to the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul leaves at least 5 dead, where a memorial service was held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.[128][129][130] ISKP later claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming it killed Taliban militants.[131]

On 4 October, the Taliban says it has "destroyed an IS–K cell" in Kabul following yesterday's bombing at a mosque during the memorial for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid says that a special Taliban unit carried out the operation and that the base was destroyed and everyone inside was killed.[132]

On 6 October, 7 people, including at least 1 Taliban fighter, were killed in a grenade attack on a religious school in Khost. ISKP claimed responsibility for the attack.[133][134]

On 7 October, the Taliban announced that they had arrested 4 ISKP members after a raid in Paghman district, west of Kabul.[135] On the same day, ISIS claimed responsibility for the capture and execution of a Taliban fighter in District 2 of Jalalabad.[136]

On 8 October, a Uyghur Islamic State militant, by the name of Muhammad al-Uyghuri killed 55–100 people and injured dozens more after launching a suicide bombing on a Shi'ite mosque in Kunduz.[137][138][139][140]

On 9 October, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen announced that there would be no co-operation with the U.S. to combat ISKP, saying that the Taliban are 'able to deal with ISIS independently'.[141]

On 10 October, ISKP claimed responsibility for the assassination of 2 Taliban fighters in District 7 of Jalalabad.[142]

On 14 October, a bomb killed a Taliban police chief in Asadabad, capital of Kunar province, Afghanistan. They also claim that 11 people were injured, including 4 Taliban soldiers.[143]

On 15 October, a bomb explosion occurred in Kandahar at the Shia 'Imam Bargah mosque', killing at least 65 people and wounding at least 70 more. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.[144][145]

On 20 October, the Taliban announced they had arrested at least 250 ISKP operatives between mid-September and mid-October 2021.[146]

On 23 October, ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting 2 Taliban fighters dead in District 1 of Jalalabad city.[147]

On 24 October, a bomb attack in Afghanistan has left at least 2 civilians dead on Saturday, 1 being a child, and four wounded. The device placed on the road in eastern Afghanistan was aimed at a Taliban vehicle.[148] On the same day, it was reported that ISKP had raised a flag in a village in Uruzgan Province and that the militants were distributing leaflets at mosques in nearby villages.[146]

On 25 October, 17 people were killed in clashes between gunmen and Taliban forces in Herat.[149] On the same day it was announced that Tajikistan and China had reached an agreement for China to fund construction for a new Tajik military base and that Chinese forces can completely operate a military base near the Afghan border.[150]

On 31 October, at least a hundred IS militants reportedly surrendered to the Taliban security forces in Nangarhar province, as part of an operation to suppress the insurgent formation in the country.[151]

In the month of October, a former Afghan national army officer, who recently joined ISKP ranks, was killed in clash with Taliban fighters. The former officer commanded the Afghan military's weapons and ammunition depot in Gardez before the Taliban takeover.[50]

Since the Taliban takeover, the violence in Nangahar province has escalated with near-daily attacks claimed by the Islamic State. The Taliban responded by deploying an additional 1,300 fighters in the province in the month of October with the aim to increase the number of operations conducted against the ISKP fighters in the province.[24] Talibans have also carried out night raids against suspected ISKP fighters in the province and many of the hundreds arrested during those raids have either disappeared or turned up dead. The Taliban's harsh crackdown in the province against the suspected ISKP fighters has resulted in a number of human right violations by the Taliban fighters, according to Nangahar residents. Islamic State has also used Taliban's harsh crackdown as a part of its recruitment propaganda calling on Nangahar residents to rise up and resist the Taliban.[24] Nangahar residents say that the Taliban fighters in the province are not familiar with the area and have no way to check the intelligence they receive about Islamic State targets. So the Taliban fighters have started killing anyone they suspect of working for the Islamic State, according to the residents. Washington Post reports that only a few Taliban fighters have the necessary training or experience to conduct precision-based operations in urban areas. As the Taliban are more adopted to guerrilla warfare, they are therefore still adjusting to maintain security during peacetime.[24]

By early November, IS-KP in Nangahar was repeatedly assassinating ex-republicans and pro-Taliban figures and attacked patrols with such a frequency that the Taliban government ordered its fighters in the province to no longer leave settlements at night.[152]

On 2 November, the 2021 Kabul hospital attack took place where assailants attacked the Daoud Khan Military Hospital with guns and suicide bombers killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 50 more people. A senior Taliban commander, Mawlawi Hamdullah Mukhlis, was killed in the attack. He was the head of the Kabul military corps and was 1 of the first "senior" Taliban commanders to enter the abandoned Afghan presidential palace on August 15.[28] The Taliban blamed ISKP for the attack and claimed that they killed at least 4 militants in a shootout.[153][154] On the same day, ISIL claimed responsibility for killing a Taliban judge in a gun attack in PD-2, Jalalabad.[155]

On 7 November, at least 3 members of the Taliban security forces were killed and 3 others wounded in a series of attacks in Jalalabad. "Two blasts hit the Taliban, then the ISKP militants engaged in a gunfight and finally managed to escape".[156]

On 10 November, a spokesman for the General Directorate of Intelligence, the new name of the Afghan spy agency under Taliban rule, told reporters in Kabul that they have arrested nearly 600 members of ISKP including “high-ranking” commanders.[48]

On 13 November, at least 3 people were killed including Afghan journalist Hameed Saighani after a bus exploded in a majority Shia part of Kabul city. ISKP later claimed responsibility.[157]

On 14 November, ISKP militants gunned down and killed a Taliban fighter in Nangarhar.[158]

On 15 November, 4 ISKP members and 3 civilians were killed in a Taliban raid on a suspected ISKP hideout in Kandahar.[159]

On 18 November, a UN assessment concluded that members of ISIS-KP were now present in all of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.[160]

On 20 November, 3 Taliban fighters were killed after ISKP militants opened fire on their car in Jalalabad city.[161]

On 22 November, the United States revealed the names of and declared four main leaders of ISKP, including a funder of the organisation, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).[35] On the same day, ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting and killing a Taliban fighter and a former Afghan intelligence operative after their car was fired upon on Jalalabad.

On 25 November, 2 Taliban members were shot and killed by ISKP militants in Jalalabad city.[162]

On 30 November, 3 ISKP militants were killed in a Taliban raid on a house in the city of Jalalabad. Four Taliban fighters were wounded in the operation.[163]

On 4 December, ISKP released a photo on telegram showing an IED explosion that targeted a Taliban patrol vehicle in Kabul.[164]

On 5 December, ISKP claimed responsibility for killing two Taliban fighters after shooting at their car in the city of Jalalabad.[164]

On 6 December, ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Taloqan. Making this ISKP's first claim of responsibility in Takhar Province since the Taliban takeover.[164]

On 9 December, during an interview, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed that since the re-foundation of the Islamic Emirate, 25 ISKP hideouts had been destroyed and that 670 ISKP fighters had been arrested. He also stated that “Daesh is no longer a big threat in Afghanistan. It was a small group that has now been dismantled in Kabul and Jalalabad.”[165]

On 14 December, Nada Al-Nashif, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, announced that the Taliban had been responsible for at least 50 executions of suspected ISKP members, including hangings and beheadings. The same report also stated that the Taliban had conducted at least 72 executions of former Afghan security personnel.[166]

2022 edit

On 4 January, ISKP claimed to have abducted and executed a Taliban 'spy' in the Mamandra region of Nangarhar.[167]

On 16 January, ISKP released footage of one of their operatives shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Herat.[168]

On 23 January, ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Taloqan.[169]

On 30 January, two Taliban fighters were targeted by ISKP gunmen in the Sarkani region of Kunar, on the Afghan-Pakistani border. One Taliban fighter was killed and the other was wounded.[170]

On 13 February, during a televised interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urges the world to work with the Taliban in order to resolve the ongoing regional humanitarian crisis which resulted in part from the conflict.[171]

On 22 February 2022, Pakistan officials acknowledged that the ongoing conflict was destabilizing Afghanistan and also threatening the stability of Pakistan.[60]

On 4 March 2022, an ISKP suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing 63 worshippers.

On 2 April, ISKP claimed to have bombed a vehicle containing Taliban militants with an IED in District 5 of Kabul.[172]

On 11 April 2022 Islamic State transforms and grows in Pakistan and Afghanistan according to a report by the AP news agency-[173] A concerted focus on “social media warfare” is critical to advance on the ideological battlefield but also in order to counter the pull of “enchanting” social media influencers, ISIS Khorasan declared in a new issue of the group's English-language magazine. In their magazine "Voice of Khurasan", ISIS Khorasan criticized the management and thinking of the Taliban.[174]

On 19 April 2022, At least 6 people were killed and 17 injured in bomb attacks on two schools in Kabul. The students who attended these centers are from the Shiite Hazara minority, which is the population that lives in the Dashte Barchi neighborhood to the west of the Afghan capital. The Taliban spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior has warned that the death toll could increase. Several injured are in serious condition. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but it is suspected that the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State is guilty of the events[175]

See also: 2022 Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing and April 2022 Kabul school bombing

The Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against the country's Shiite minority during the week of 18–24 April 2022. The bomb attack on a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan, from 22 April, caused the death of 33 people, including students. Added to these attacks are those that occurred in two educational centers in the Shiite Hazara minority neighborhood of Dashte Barchi, in western Kabul, causing at least six deaths and 25 injuries, according to official data. several smaller explosions in recent days in different parts of Afghanistan, including another detonation today in a Kabul neighborhood that initially caused no casualties. There was also a roadside mine explosion yesterday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, which left at least four members of the Taliban security forces dead and one wounded. In the city of Kunduz, another detonation against a vehicle left four dead and 18 injured, including children. The Taliban announced the arrest of a former leader of IS-K in the northern region of Balkh, whose capital is Mazar-e-Sharif.[176]

On Friday, 29 April 2022, the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, there was a new attack against a Sufi Mosque in Afghanistan as part of the wave of violence that is sweeping the country. The explosion occurred in the west of the capital, Kabul, during prayers and killed 50 people,[177][178] The same day two high-voltage towers in Parwan province were bombed on the night of Friday, 29 April 2022, cutting off electricity to the capital and neighboring provinces. Millions of people in 11 provinces of Afghanistan suffered blackouts on Saturday, 30 April 2022 after two power transmission towers were blown up west of the capital Kabul.[179]

On 25 May, at least 9 people were killed in a triple bombing targeting mini-busses in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. IS-KP later claimed responsibility.[180]

On 18 June, two people were killed and seven others were injured after gunmen attacked a Sikh temple in Kabul. ISKP claimed responsibility, claiming the attack was in revenge for 'insults made by members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party about the Prophet Mohammed'. Seven ISKP gunmen were killed in a firefight with Taliban forces after the attack.[181]

On 3 August, two Taliban policemen and three Islamic State gunmen are killed during a gunbattle at a hideout in Kabul. Four other officers are wounded.[182]

See also: 5 August 2022 Kabul bombing

On 5 August, 8 people were killed and 18 others were injured after a bomb exploded at a Shia gathering in Kabul. ISKP later claimed responsibility.[183]

On 11 August, a senior Taliban cleric, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, was blown up and killed in a suicide bombing during an Islamic seminary in Kabul. ISKP later claimed responsibility for the attack.[29]

See also: August 2022 Kabul mosque bombing

On 17 August, a mosque in Kabul was attacked during evening prayers. It was reported that happen a huge explosion with 21 killed including the mosque's imam Amir Muhammad Kabuli. Another 33 people were injured.[184]

See also: 2022 Herat mosque bombing

On 2 September, a bombing at a mosque in Herat killed at least 18 people and wounded 23 others. A senior Taliban cleric, Mujib Rahman Ansari, was killed in the blast.[30][185]

See also: Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul

On 5 September, At least eight dead in an attack claimed by the self-styled Islamic State in Afghanistan. In the explosion, near the Russian embassy, a security guard and the second secretary of the delegation have died. In addition, four Afghan Taliban police officers have also been killed.[186][187] An unclear number of people were injured in the bombing. RIA Novosti reported 15 to 20 wounded[188][189]

See also: September 2022 Kabul mosque bombing

On 23 September 2022 a car bomb exploded outside a mosque in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood of Kabul, Afghanistan. The explosion happened just as worshippers were leaving the building after finishing Friday prayers. Police said that seven people had been killed and 41 injured.[190][191]

Further information: September 2022 Kabul school bombing

On 30 September 2022, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kaaj education center in Dashte Barchi, a Hazara neighborhood in Kabul, killing at least 52 people and injuring 110 others.

On 5 October 2022, 4 people were blown up and killed and a further 25 were wounded by an explosion at a mosque at the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kabul.[192]

On 22 October 2022, The Taliban killed six ISKP members during a raid in Kabul. A Taliban spokesman says they were responsible for the September 2022 Kabul mosque bombing and the September 2022 Kabul school bombing.[193]

Main article: 2022 Aybak bombing

On 30 November 2022, at least 15 people were killed in a bombing at a madrasa in Aybak.[194]

On 2 December 2022, 2 men disguised in burqas attack a mosque while former Mujahideen leader and Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, was inside. The attackers killed a civilian and injured two others before being shot dead by security guards. Hekmatyar was unhurt.[195]

Further information: 2022 Kabul hotel attack

On 12 December 2022, insurgents attacked a hotel popular with Chinese nationals in Kabul, Afghanistan.[196][197] At least three civilians were killed. Eighteen others, including foreigners, are reported to be among those injured.[198][196] Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.[199] Kabul's Emergency Hospital, run by an Italian non-profit near the attacked hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw area, reported receiving 21 casualties - 18 injured and three dead on arrival.[198]

On 27 December 2022, ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bombing that killed Abdulhaq Abu Omar, the Taliban police chief of the country’s northeastern Badakhshan province.[200] Omar is believed to be the highest-ranking Taliban security official slain since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021.[31]

2023 edit

On 1 January, at least 10 people were killed and 8 others were wounded by an explosion at the entrance to the military airport in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on New Year's morning (01.01.2023), the Afghan Interior Ministry reported without providing further details or the exact number of victims.[201] The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) today claimed responsibility for the attack against a surveillance post in the military zone of the Kabul airport and identified the suicide bomber, the same one who attacked a hotel frequented by Chinese citizens three weeks ago in the Afghan capital.[202]

On 5 January, a Taliban spokesperson stated that its forces have killed eight Islamic State insurgents, including foreign nationals, accusing them of having a "main role in the attack on [Longan] hotel". These killings, along with seven arrests, took place in a series of raids in Kabul and the western Nimruz Province.[203]

On 11 January, at least 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul according to Information Ministry official Ustad Fareedun. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State.[204]

On 27 February, the Taliban forces killed two Islamic State militants who they described as "key commanders".[205]

On 9 March, three people, including Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, the Taliban-appointed governor of Balkh Province, were killed by an explosion at his office.[206]

On 17 March, the Taliban killed several Islamic State-Khorasan Province insurgents and seized weapons and ammunition during raids on hideouts in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province.[207]

On 4 April, six Islamic State members were killed during a raid by the Taliban in Balkh Province.[208]

In 2023, Taliban security forces killed the head of the ISIS cell responsible for the 2021 Kabul airport attack.[209]

On 6 June, ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for a car bombing which killed the Taliban-appointed Deputy Governor of Badakhstan.[210] It was also reported that the Deputy Governor who was killed was in fact Badakhstan's acting Governor.[211]

On 8 June 2023, a bombing took place during a mourning service at a mosque in Fayzabad, Badakhshan Province, northern Afghanistan. At least 13 people were killed in the blast, while more than 30 more were injured. The deputy governor of the province, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, who was killed that week in a car bombing, was remembered during the memorial service. The bombing happened close to the Nabawi Mosque in Fayzabad, the province's capital.[212][213][214][215][216][217] ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which was aimed at Taliban officials who were attending the service, and also claimed at least 20 senior Taliban officials were killed and 50 others were injured, a higher figure than what the Taliban reported.[218][219]

On June 22, 2023, ISIS magazine Khurasan Ghag [Voice of Khurasan] released an issue titled "Shari'a Evaluation of Mullah Hibbatullah's Deceptive Words," which accused the Taliban of actually being "proxy fighters" of "unbeliever intelligence agencies" and also dubbed the Afghan Taliban's "Islamic System" government to not be in compliance with Sharia law.[220] The magazine further accused Western powers of aiding the Taliban's return to power because they assumed that Ashraf Ghani's government would collapse and sought to maintain influence with a regime change, pointing out the Taliban's efforts to build relations with the United States and how the change in government did not end the nation's reliance on American dollars.[220]

On October 13, 2023, an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in Puli Khumri, killing seven and injuring fifteen.[221]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Estimates of IS-K strength in 2016 varied widely. The United States Armed Forces estimated between 1,000 and 3,000, whereas Afghan officials judged IS-K to have around 3,000 fighters.[55] Journalists Catherine Philip and David Charter stated that it were about 3,000 to 4,000.[56] One analyst put IS-K's strength at up to 8,500 if one included "support elements".[55]

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Works cited edit

  • Johnson, Casey Garret (November 2016). "The Rise and Stall of the Islamic State in Afghanistan" (PDF). Special Report. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace (395): 9–13.
  • Sayed, Abdul (September 2021). "The Taliban's Persistent War on Salafists in Afghanistan" (PDF). Terrorism Monitor. Washington, D.C.: Jamestown Foundation. 19 (18): 9–13.
  • Zenn, Jacob (5 November 2021). "Briefs" (PDF). Terrorism Monitor. Jamestown Foundation. 19 (21): 1–3.

December 14, 2023
islamic, state, taliban, conflict, part, afghan, conflict, terrorislamic, state, fighters, have, surrendered, taliban, after, battle, darzabdate2, february, 2015, present, years, months, weeks, days, locationafghanistan, mainly, nangarhar, kunar, jowzjan, prov. Islamic State Taliban conflictPart of the Afghan conflict and the war on terrorIslamic State fighters who have surrendered to the Taliban after Battle of DarzabDate2 February 2015 present 8 years 6 months 2 weeks and 3 days LocationAfghanistan mainly Nangarhar Kunar and Jowzjan provinces 18 19 StatusOngoing Initial Taliban victories in the battles of Darzab and Nangarhar 20 Collapse of the Islamic State stronghold in eastern Afghanistan in 2019 21 Taliban takes control of most of the former Islamic Republic territory in 2021 IS KP regains strength in eastern Afghanistan following Taliban takeover 22 IS KP rebellion in eastern Afghanistan suppressed 11 Continued IS KP guerilla warfare and insurgent attacks including cross border into Pakistan 11 Belligerents Afghanistan Taliban Haqqani network 1 Al Qaeda 2 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan pro Taliban amp anti IS factions 3 Supported by United States limited 4 5 6 7 Iran alleged 8 9 Russia alleged 10 Pakistan alleged 11 Islamic State Khorasan Province IS central command 12 Mullah Dadullah Front 13 until 2016 Fidai Mahaz 14 Supported by High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan HCIEA 15 until 2021 16 17 India Alledged support for Fidai Mahaz in Afghanistan Commanders and leadersHibatullah Akhundzada 2016 Mullah Yaqoob 23 Sirajuddin Haqqani 23 Abdul Ghani Baradar 23 Qari Fasihuddin Mohammad Bashir 24 Neda Mohammad 25 Formerly Akhtar Mansour 2015 16 killed in an American airstrike Abdul Ghani 26 Haji Shakir 27 Hamdullah Mukhlis 28 Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani 29 Mujib Rahman Ansari 30 Abdulhaq Abu Omar 31 Mohammad Dawood Muzamil 32 Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi Shahab al Muhajir 33 Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman 34 Ismatullah Khalozai 35 Sultan Aziz Azam 35 Maulawi Rajab 35 Najibullah Formerly Hafiz Saeed Khan Abdul Haseeb Logari 36 37 Abdul Rahman Ghaleb 38 39 Abu Saad Erhabi 40 Abdul Rauf Aliza Mawlawi Ziya ul Haq 41 Abdullah Orokzai POW 42 43 Nematullah Qaweem Qari Hekmat Farooq Bengalzai 44 Haji Qomandan 27 Mansoor Dadullah 45 Abdul Manan Niazi 46 Nangialai Khan Muhammad Rasul Qari Fateh 47 Units involvedIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan forces Islamic Emirate Army Red Unit Badri 313 Battalion General Directorate of Intelligence 48 Pro Taliban militiasIslamic State Khorasan Province forces Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan pro IS factions 3 49 Taliban defectors Former Afghan soldiers 2021 50 51 Former Afghan intelligence agency personnel 2021 50 51 StrengthTaliban 1 000 special forces 2015 52 70 000 75 000 fighters 2021 24 53 54 Khorasan Province and its allies 1 000 8 500 fighters 2016 a 2 000 3 500 fighters 2021 24 53 HCIEA 3 000 3 500 57 Casualties and lossesUnknownUnknown1 547 overall deaths 2015 2020 58 3 774 overall deaths 2021 2023 59 The Islamic State Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015 26 Since then the Taliban and IS KP have engaged in clashes over the control of territory mostly in eastern Afghanistan but clashes have also occurred between the Taliban and IS KP cells which are located in the north west and south west The Haqqani network al Qaeda and others support the Taliban while IS is supported by the Mullah Dadullah Front and the pro ISIS faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan After the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021 several members of the Afghan intelligence agency and the Afghan national army have also joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province 51 50 In February 2022 Pakistani officials acknowledged that ongoing violence was destabilizing the region 60 The High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan previously a breakaway Taliban faction announced after the 2021 fall of Kabul that they have pledged allegiance to the Taliban and will dissolve 61 62 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Opposing forces 2 During the Taliban insurgency 2 1 2015 2 2 2016 2 3 2017 2 4 2018 2 5 2019 2 6 2020 3 After the Taliban s takeover of Afghanistan 3 1 Renewed Islamic State attacks and anti Salafist purge 3 2 Islamic State insurgency 3 2 1 2022 3 2 2 2023 4 Notes 5 References 5 1 Works citedBackground editDuring their original stint in power of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the late 1990s the ruling Taliban had pursued a policy of suppressing Salafism motivated by strict Deobandi tenets During this period the main issue of Salafist scholars was that Taliban was led by Maturidi Sufis As a result of the unofficial Taliban bans on Ahl i Hadith during the 1996 2001 era several Salafis had shifted to Peshawar However after the US led Invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Taliban and Ahl i Hadith allied to wage a common Jihad to resist the invasion The Afghan Salafists decided to put aside their differences with the Taliban to join them in the greater jihad against the United States Several Arab Salafis in Al Qaeda rank and file would mediate the disputes between Afghan Salafists and Taliban enabling them to unify for the more important religious duty of fighting against the U S and its allies in Afghanistan Many Salafi commanders and Ahl i Hadith organisations participated in the Taliban insurgency 2001 2021 under Afghan Taliban s command 63 64 During the Taliban insurgency in January 2015 IS established itself in Khorasan and formed IS K 65 The main objective of IS K was to occupy the land of Khorasan that includes the country of Afghanistan 66 Even though the initial IS K was formed by Taliban as well as Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan TTP defectors and thus ideologically similar it became dominated by Salafists 67 The disgruntled members of TTP would establish IS KP and shifted to the Nangarhar province After its founding Pakistani leaders who defected from TTP were killed in US drone strikes Afghan Salafists took charge of TTP 68 The emergence of IS K provided militant Afghan Salafists with an opportunity to set up a rival force although Salafist support for the group waned as it proved ideologically too extreme and brutal for most Afghan Salafis 69 As a result the majority of Afghan Salafis have remained supportive of the Taliban In March 2020 major Pashtun Ahl i Hadith ulema convened in Peshawar under the leadership of Shaikh Abdul Aziz Nooristani and Haji Hayatullah to pledge Bay ah oath of loyalty to the Taliban and publicly condemn IS K The scholars also requested protection from the Afghan Taliban for the Ahl i Hadith community 70 After Taliban victory in the War in Afghanistan and restoration of the Islamic Emirate hundreds of Ahl i Hadith ulema would gather to announce their Bay ah pledge of allegiance to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Numerous Ahl i Hadith clerics and their representatives held gatherings across various provinces of Afghanistan to re affirm their backing of the Taliban and officially declare their support to the Taliban crackdown on IS K 71 Opposing forces edit By 2016 IS K mostly consisted of eastern Afghans Pakistanis and foreign fighters from Central Asia The latter were mainly former members of the Islamic Jihad Union and the Turkistan Islamic Party In addition there were a small number of Arabs 55 Throughout its existence IS K has operated in a very limited area mainly concentrated in select provinces in eastern Afghanistan 55 most importantly Nangarhar and Kunar 72 By 2016 it had appointed shadow governors in other regions as well but not exerted much influence outside its traditional bases 55 The group is known to receive support by the Islamic State s central command in form of money 12 and combat trainers from Iraq and Syria 72 IS K s combat strength has fluctuated greatly over the years but has mostly remained in the low thousands 55 During the Taliban insurgency edit2015 edit On 2 February militants affiliated with IS K killed Abdul Ghani a Taliban commander in Logar province 26 On 26 May Asif Nang governor of Farah province said the Taliban have been fighting against IS militants for the past three days in Farah province The clash left 10 Taliban and 15 IS militants dead 73 In May IS K militants captured Maulvi Abbas a Taliban commander who was leading a small squad of insurgent fighters in Nangarhar province 74 In June IS K militants beheaded 10 Taliban fighters who were fleeing an Afghan military offensive according to a spokesman of Afghan army corps responsible for the region 74 On 9 November fighting had broken out between different Taliban factions in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan Fighters loyal to the new Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour began to fight a pro IS faction led by Mullah Mansoor Dadullah According to Afghan security and local officials Akhtar Mansour had sent as many as 450 Taliban fighters to crush Mullah Mansoor and Islamic State elements in Zabul 13 Dadullah s faction received support from IS during the clashes and IS fighters also joined in on the fighting alongside Dadullah including foreign fighters from Chechnya and Uzbekistan Dadullah and IS were eventually defeated by Mansour s forces 75 Hajji Momand Nasratyar the district governor of Arghandab said the fighting took place in three districts of Zabul province and 86 IS militants and 26 Taliban fighters were killed in the clash Taliban also reported to have killed several IS militants who were responsible for beheading of seven Hazara civilians a few days back 13 Hajji Atta Jan the Zabul provincial council chief said the offensive by Mullah Mansour s fighters was so intense that at least three Islamic State commanders all of them ethnic Uzbeks had surrendered They were also asking others IS militants to do the same 13 Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty while quoting sources from Southern Afghanistan reported that some 70 IS militants were also captured in the clash by the Taliban 76 On 13 November Ghulam Jelani Farahi an Afghan police chief said that Mullah Mansoor Dadullah was killed in a clash with Taliban 45 2016 edit In January hundreds of Taliban fighters launched an assault against IS bases in eastern Afghanistan Taliban fighters were successful in capturing two districts from IS in eastern Afghanistan but it failed to drive the group out of their stronghold in the Nazyan district in Nangarhar province 77 Ataullah Khogyani a spokesman for the provincial governor said that 26 IS militants and 5 Taliban fighters were killed in the clashes in Nangarhar 78 On 2 February US carried out airstrikes targeting IS radio station in eastern Afghanistan The strike destroyed the radio station and killed 29 IS militants 79 In March Taliban factions led by Muhammad Rasul and opposed to Mansoor began to fight against his loyalists in the group During the fighting dozens were reported killed 80 On 26 April Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal a provincial police spokesman said that 10 IS militants including an IS commander and 6 Taliban fighters were killed in a clash in Nangarhar 15 IS militants and 4 Taliban fighters were also wounded during the same clash according to the spokesman 81 On 19 May local government officials reported that a clash took place between IS and Taliban in Achin and Khogyani district of Nangarhar province 15 IS militants and 3 Taliban fighters were killed in Achin district and the remaining were killed in Khogyani 4 Taliban commanders were also among the dead 82 On 13 August US defence officials said that ISIL s top leader Hafiz Saeed Khan was killed in a drone strike on 26 July in Nangarhar province 83 On 30 October Ajmal Zahid a governor of Golestan district said that ISIL s commander Abdul Razaq Mehdi was killed by Taliban fighters in Farah province 84 2017 edit On 13 April 2017 the United States dropped 85 the largest non nuclear bomb known as the GBU 43 B Massive Ordnance Air Blast MOAB Mother of All Bombs near Momand village 86 upon a Nangahar s Achin District village in eastern Afghanistan to destroy tunnel complexes used by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan Province ISIL KP or ISIS K 87 88 89 The Guardian reported that following the strike US and Afghan forces conducted clearing operations and airstrikes in the area and assessed the damage 90 On 26 April a fight occurred after IS captured 3 drug dealers who were involved in selling opium for the Taliban in Jowzjan Province An Afghan National Police spokesman stated that the Taliban attacked IS in response saying The clashes erupted when group of armed Taliban attacked Daesh militants to secure the release of 3 drug smugglers who came here to pay 10 million afghanis 14 780 to the Taliban for a deal The Taliban s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had also confirmed clashes were ongoing with IS at the time without providing details on the nature of the fight or reasons 91 Mohammad Reza Ghafori a spokesman for the provincial governor said that the clashes between Taliban and IS K had left 76 Taliban and 15 IS militants dead IS militants also seized 2 districts from the Taliban according to the spokesman 92 On 24 May a clash between the Taliban and IS occurred and at that time it had reportedly been the largest clash between the two with 22 casualties 13 of which were IS fighters and 9 Taliban fighters according to a Taliban official The clashes occurred near Iran s border with Afghanistan The Taliban had attacked an IS camp in the area an IS commander who was formerly a Taliban member said that there was an agreement between the Taliban and IS not to attack each other until there was a dialogue The commander claimed that the Taliban had violated the agreement and attacked the IS camp The IS commander also claimed the attack was coordinated with the Iranian military and that there were Iranians filming dead IS fighters The Taliban splinter faction Fidai Mahaz has also criticized the Taliban for its relationship with Iran Days before the battle the Taliban reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss regional issues A spokesman for Fidai Mahaz claimed the meeting was held at the request of the Taliban as it was weary of the expansion of IS in the country which also concerned the Iranian government The spokesman also said that the Taliban received US 3 million in cash 3 000 arms 40 trucks and the ammunition from Iran s intelligence services in order to fight IS near the Iranian border although a Taliban spokesman denied the allegations 93 94 On 27 November Taliban executed one of its senior commanders for colluding with IS A week before IS fighters were mass executed by their fellow militants in Achin district according to a provincial government spokesman However the spokesman did not provide any additional detail and neither did IS release any official statement on killing its own members 95 2018 edit Further information Battle of Darzab 2018 nbsp Surrendered Islamic State fighters after the Battle of Darzab On 20 June after the talks between the Russian government and the Taliban US assistant secretary of state Alice Wells condemned the Russian government s position on the Taliban that included backing for the group against IS stating it gave the Taliban legitimacy and challenged the recognized Afghan government 96 In July the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province According to a surrendered IS commander the Taliban had amassed 2 000 fighters for the offensive against IS The fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who had sworn allegiance to IS were also present fighting alongside IS against the Taliban During the fighting 3 500 to 7 000 civilians were displaced By the end of July IS s hold in the region was reduced to 2 villages all thanks to the Taliban s campaign In response they requested support from the Afghan government and also agreed to put down their arms in exchange for protection from the Taliban The Afghan Air Force later carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in exchange for IS s surrender in the region The agreement between the Afghan government and IS created controversy afterwards 97 98 On 17 July IS militants killed 15 Taliban militants and injured 5 others during a raid on a house belonging to a Taliban commander in Sar e Pol Abdul Qayuom Baqizoi the police chief of Sar e Pol told Associated Press that Taliban and IS fighters have been fighting each other in Jowzjan and Sar e Pol for more than two months killing hundreds on both sides 99 In August during the negotiations between the US government and the Taliban in Doha the Taliban had requested that the US ends airstrikes on the Taliban as well as provide support to the group in order to fight IS 100 2019 edit On 22 June clashes were reported in Kunar between the Taliban and IS by an Afghan government official The official also claimed that the Afghan military had killed some IS fighters in the area and that the Taliban was active in the area as well 101 On 29 June IS released photos of weapons captured from the Taliban 102 On the same day IS published a video of its fighters renewing their Bayah to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi In the video fighters criticized the Taliban for engaging in peace talks and called upon Taliban fighters to join IS 103 On 1 August the Amaq News Agency claimed that IS had killed 5 Taliban members during clashes in Kunar 104 On 1 October IS claimed to have killed and wounded 20 Taliban fighters in Tora Bora 105 2020 edit In March 2020 the Afghan Salafist Council under its emir Shaikh Abdul Aziz Nooristani met with Taliban leaders and pledged loyalty to their movement Salafists had previously provided crucial support to IS K but recognized that the latter s position had greatly declined after its defeats in Nangarhar and Kunar 106 The Salafist Council represented by 32 scholars and military leaders stated that they were in no way loyal to IS K and wanted to be left out of the Islamic State Taliban conflict The Taliban leadership accepted the pledge of loyalty exploiting it in its propaganda 107 In October 2020 former Politico reporter Wesley Morgan revealed that United States special operations forces longtime foes of the Taliban had been conducting drone strikes against IS K to give the Taliban an advantage in the field According to Morgan the operators were jokingly referred to as the Taliban Air Force and instead of communicating directly with Taliban commanders they would monitor Taliban communications and decide when was the best time to strike 108 On 10 December 2020 General Kenneth McKenzie Jr head of U S Central Command confirmed that the U S had assisted the Taliban via opportunistic drone strikes saying that they did not coordinate operations with the Taliban but took advantage of them fighting a common enemy to conduct their own operations Gen McKenzie said the strikes occurred several months prior when IS K was holding ground in Nangarhar Province and elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan 109 After the Taliban s takeover of Afghanistan editRenewed Islamic State attacks and anti Salafist purge edit Further information 2021 Kabul airport attack and 2021 Kunduz mosque bombing The Taliban finally succeeded in taking over Afghanistan from the Islamic Republic during a large scale offensive in summer 2021 Kabul fell on 15 August 2021 prompting the leaders of the IS K to denounce the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan 110 The Taliban immediately moved to contain or purge potential opponents including Islamic State supporters and Salafists Across the country the Taliban ordered the closure of Salafist mosques seminaries and tried to arrest prominent Salafist scholars prompting many to go into hiding Among those targeted by the new Taliban authorities were Salafi clerics who had publicly opposed IS K 111 Researcher Abdul Sayed argued that the purge was probably organized by hardline anti Salafist elements within the Taliban and more motivated by long time resentment than fears about Salafi support for a future IS K insurgency 112 On 16 August the Taliban claimed to have killed around 150 IS K fighters including its former chief Abu Umar Khurasani while prisoners were being released from a jail in Kabul 44 However many IS K militants were able to rejoin the IS K ranks because of spree of prison breaks across the country organized by the Taliban 44 On 26 August a suicide bombing and a mass shooting occurred near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Afghanistan 113 114 115 116 117 The attack began hours after the United States State Department told Americans outside the airport to leave due to a terrorist threat 118 At least 185 people were killed in the attacks including 13 U S service members 119 The Taliban condemned the attack saying evil circles will be strictly stopped 120 The Taliban later announced that they would take every possible measure to capture IS KP leader Shahab al Muhajir 121 The same day Saifullah Mohammed Taliban s CID chief told The Times that they had captured 6 militants belonging to IS K following a gun battle in western side of Kabul 122 Taliban militants kidnapped the influential Salafi cleric Mullah Abu Obaidullah Mutawakil on 28 August he was brutal ly murdered one week later 106 Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied the Taliban s role in the killing of Mutawakil but also did not condemn the murder 106 Even though Mutawakil was described as an IS K sympathiser and a large number of his students were part of IS K 44 he had not officially backed the Islamic State IS K did not offer prayers for him after his demise stating that he had not been loyal to the Islamic State s caliphate 111 On 9 November 2021 Reuters journalist James MacKenzie stated that frequent smaller atrocities in the conflict are less commonly reported 123 Aside from the ISIS stronghold of Nangarhar other affected areas include Ghazni in central Afghanistan Herat in the west Balkh in the north and Paktia Paktika and Khost in the southeast 123 Islamic State insurgency edit On 6 September Neda Mohammad a Taliban governor for Nangarhar province vowed to continue fighting IS K militants Nangarhar province is a stronghold of IS K and the governor says that since taking over Nangarhar his forces had arrested 70 80 suspected militants belonging to IS K in Nangarhar province 25 On 8 September Taliban killed Farooq Bengalzai an ISKP head for a Pakistan s province in Nimroz Afghanistan 44 On 18 September 7 people were killed when 4 bombs planted by suspected IS KP members exploded in Jalalabad targeting Taliban patrols 124 On 22 September 2 Taliban fighters and a civilian were killed by ISIL gunmen who attacked a checkpoint in Ghawchak district of Jalalabad security sources and witnesses said 125 On 1 October Taliban forces raided an ISKP base in the city of Charikar north of Kabul The Taliban claimed they had killed and arrested a number of ISKP members 126 On 2 October suspected ISKP militants shot dead 2 Taliban fighters and 2 civilians in Jalalabad 127 On 3 October an explosion at the entrance to the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul leaves at least 5 dead where a memorial service was held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid 128 129 130 ISKP later claimed responsibility for the attack claiming it killed Taliban militants 131 On 4 October the Taliban says it has destroyed an IS K cell in Kabul following yesterday s bombing at a mosque during the memorial for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid Mujahid says that a special Taliban unit carried out the operation and that the base was destroyed and everyone inside was killed 132 On 6 October 7 people including at least 1 Taliban fighter were killed in a grenade attack on a religious school in Khost ISKP claimed responsibility for the attack 133 134 On 7 October the Taliban announced that they had arrested 4 ISKP members after a raid in Paghman district west of Kabul 135 On the same day ISIS claimed responsibility for the capture and execution of a Taliban fighter in District 2 of Jalalabad 136 On 8 October a Uyghur Islamic State militant by the name of Muhammad al Uyghuri killed 55 100 people and injured dozens more after launching a suicide bombing on a Shi ite mosque in Kunduz 137 138 139 140 On 9 October Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen announced that there would be no co operation with the U S to combat ISKP saying that the Taliban are able to deal with ISIS independently 141 On 10 October ISKP claimed responsibility for the assassination of 2 Taliban fighters in District 7 of Jalalabad 142 On 14 October a bomb killed a Taliban police chief in Asadabad capital of Kunar province Afghanistan They also claim that 11 people were injured including 4 Taliban soldiers 143 On 15 October a bomb explosion occurred in Kandahar at the Shia Imam Bargah mosque killing at least 65 people and wounding at least 70 more ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack 144 145 On 20 October the Taliban announced they had arrested at least 250 ISKP operatives between mid September and mid October 2021 146 On 23 October ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting 2 Taliban fighters dead in District 1 of Jalalabad city 147 On 24 October a bomb attack in Afghanistan has left at least 2 civilians dead on Saturday 1 being a child and four wounded The device placed on the road in eastern Afghanistan was aimed at a Taliban vehicle 148 On the same day it was reported that ISKP had raised a flag in a village in Uruzgan Province and that the militants were distributing leaflets at mosques in nearby villages 146 On 25 October 17 people were killed in clashes between gunmen and Taliban forces in Herat 149 On the same day it was announced that Tajikistan and China had reached an agreement for China to fund construction for a new Tajik military base and that Chinese forces can completely operate a military base near the Afghan border 150 On 31 October at least a hundred IS militants reportedly surrendered to the Taliban security forces in Nangarhar province as part of an operation to suppress the insurgent formation in the country 151 In the month of October a former Afghan national army officer who recently joined ISKP ranks was killed in clash with Taliban fighters The former officer commanded the Afghan military s weapons and ammunition depot in Gardez before the Taliban takeover 50 Since the Taliban takeover the violence in Nangahar province has escalated with near daily attacks claimed by the Islamic State The Taliban responded by deploying an additional 1 300 fighters in the province in the month of October with the aim to increase the number of operations conducted against the ISKP fighters in the province 24 Talibans have also carried out night raids against suspected ISKP fighters in the province and many of the hundreds arrested during those raids have either disappeared or turned up dead The Taliban s harsh crackdown in the province against the suspected ISKP fighters has resulted in a number of human right violations by the Taliban fighters according to Nangahar residents Islamic State has also used Taliban s harsh crackdown as a part of its recruitment propaganda calling on Nangahar residents to rise up and resist the Taliban 24 Nangahar residents say that the Taliban fighters in the province are not familiar with the area and have no way to check the intelligence they receive about Islamic State targets So the Taliban fighters have started killing anyone they suspect of working for the Islamic State according to the residents Washington Post reports that only a few Taliban fighters have the necessary training or experience to conduct precision based operations in urban areas As the Taliban are more adopted to guerrilla warfare they are therefore still adjusting to maintain security during peacetime 24 By early November IS KP in Nangahar was repeatedly assassinating ex republicans and pro Taliban figures and attacked patrols with such a frequency that the Taliban government ordered its fighters in the province to no longer leave settlements at night 152 On 2 November the 2021 Kabul hospital attack took place where assailants attacked the Daoud Khan Military Hospital with guns and suicide bombers killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 50 more people A senior Taliban commander Mawlawi Hamdullah Mukhlis was killed in the attack He was the head of the Kabul military corps and was 1 of the first senior Taliban commanders to enter the abandoned Afghan presidential palace on August 15 28 The Taliban blamed ISKP for the attack and claimed that they killed at least 4 militants in a shootout 153 154 On the same day ISIL claimed responsibility for killing a Taliban judge in a gun attack in PD 2 Jalalabad 155 On 7 November at least 3 members of the Taliban security forces were killed and 3 others wounded in a series of attacks in Jalalabad Two blasts hit the Taliban then the ISKP militants engaged in a gunfight and finally managed to escape 156 On 10 November a spokesman for the General Directorate of Intelligence the new name of the Afghan spy agency under Taliban rule told reporters in Kabul that they have arrested nearly 600 members of ISKP including high ranking commanders 48 On 13 November at least 3 people were killed including Afghan journalist Hameed Saighani after a bus exploded in a majority Shia part of Kabul city ISKP later claimed responsibility 157 On 14 November ISKP militants gunned down and killed a Taliban fighter in Nangarhar 158 On 15 November 4 ISKP members and 3 civilians were killed in a Taliban raid on a suspected ISKP hideout in Kandahar 159 On 18 November a UN assessment concluded that members of ISIS KP were now present in all of Afghanistan s 34 provinces 160 On 20 November 3 Taliban fighters were killed after ISKP militants opened fire on their car in Jalalabad city 161 On 22 November the United States revealed the names of and declared four main leaders of ISKP including a funder of the organisation as Specially Designated Global Terrorists SDGTs 35 On the same day ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting and killing a Taliban fighter and a former Afghan intelligence operative after their car was fired upon on Jalalabad On 25 November 2 Taliban members were shot and killed by ISKP militants in Jalalabad city 162 On 30 November 3 ISKP militants were killed in a Taliban raid on a house in the city of Jalalabad Four Taliban fighters were wounded in the operation 163 On 4 December ISKP released a photo on telegram showing an IED explosion that targeted a Taliban patrol vehicle in Kabul 164 On 5 December ISKP claimed responsibility for killing two Taliban fighters after shooting at their car in the city of Jalalabad 164 On 6 December ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Taloqan Making this ISKP s first claim of responsibility in Takhar Province since the Taliban takeover 164 On 9 December during an interview the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that since the re foundation of the Islamic Emirate 25 ISKP hideouts had been destroyed and that 670 ISKP fighters had been arrested He also stated that Daesh is no longer a big threat in Afghanistan It was a small group that has now been dismantled in Kabul and Jalalabad 165 On 14 December Nada Al Nashif the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights announced that the Taliban had been responsible for at least 50 executions of suspected ISKP members including hangings and beheadings The same report also stated that the Taliban had conducted at least 72 executions of former Afghan security personnel 166 2022 edit On 4 January ISKP claimed to have abducted and executed a Taliban spy in the Mamandra region of Nangarhar 167 On 16 January ISKP released footage of one of their operatives shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Herat 168 On 23 January ISKP claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Taliban fighter in Taloqan 169 On 30 January two Taliban fighters were targeted by ISKP gunmen in the Sarkani region of Kunar on the Afghan Pakistani border One Taliban fighter was killed and the other was wounded 170 On 13 February during a televised interview with CNN s Fareed Zakaria Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urges the world to work with the Taliban in order to resolve the ongoing regional humanitarian crisis which resulted in part from the conflict 171 On 22 February 2022 Pakistan officials acknowledged that the ongoing conflict was destabilizing Afghanistan and also threatening the stability of Pakistan 60 On 4 March 2022 an ISKP suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque in the Pakistani city of Peshawar killing 63 worshippers On 2 April ISKP claimed to have bombed a vehicle containing Taliban militants with an IED in District 5 of Kabul 172 On 11 April 2022 Islamic State transforms and grows in Pakistan and Afghanistan according to a report by the AP news agency 173 A concerted focus on social media warfare is critical to advance on the ideological battlefield but also in order to counter the pull of enchanting social media influencers ISIS Khorasan declared in a new issue of the group s English language magazine In their magazine Voice of Khurasan ISIS Khorasan criticized the management and thinking of the Taliban 174 On 19 April 2022 At least 6 people were killed and 17 injured in bomb attacks on two schools in Kabul The students who attended these centers are from the Shiite Hazara minority which is the population that lives in the Dashte Barchi neighborhood to the west of the Afghan capital The Taliban spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior has warned that the death toll could increase Several injured are in serious condition No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but it is suspected that the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State is guilty of the events 175 See also 2022 Mazar i Sharif mosque bombing and April 2022 Kabul school bombing The Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against the country s Shiite minority during the week of 18 24 April 2022 The bomb attack on a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan from 22 April caused the death of 33 people including students Added to these attacks are those that occurred in two educational centers in the Shiite Hazara minority neighborhood of Dashte Barchi in western Kabul causing at least six deaths and 25 injuries according to official data several smaller explosions in recent days in different parts of Afghanistan including another detonation today in a Kabul neighborhood that initially caused no casualties There was also a roadside mine explosion yesterday in the eastern province of Nangarhar which left at least four members of the Taliban security forces dead and one wounded In the city of Kunduz another detonation against a vehicle left four dead and 18 injured including children The Taliban announced the arrest of a former leader of IS K in the northern region of Balkh whose capital is Mazar e Sharif 176 On Friday 29 April 2022 the last day of the holy month of Ramadan there was a new attack against a Sufi Mosque in Afghanistan as part of the wave of violence that is sweeping the country The explosion occurred in the west of the capital Kabul during prayers and killed 50 people 177 178 The same day two high voltage towers in Parwan province were bombed on the night of Friday 29 April 2022 cutting off electricity to the capital and neighboring provinces Millions of people in 11 provinces of Afghanistan suffered blackouts on Saturday 30 April 2022 after two power transmission towers were blown up west of the capital Kabul 179 On 25 May at least 9 people were killed in a triple bombing targeting mini busses in the city of Mazar i Sharif IS KP later claimed responsibility 180 On 18 June two people were killed and seven others were injured after gunmen attacked a Sikh temple in Kabul ISKP claimed responsibility claiming the attack was in revenge for insults made by members of India s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party about the Prophet Mohammed Seven ISKP gunmen were killed in a firefight with Taliban forces after the attack 181 On 3 August two Taliban policemen and three Islamic State gunmen are killed during a gunbattle at a hideout in Kabul Four other officers are wounded 182 See also 5 August 2022 Kabul bombing On 5 August 8 people were killed and 18 others were injured after a bomb exploded at a Shia gathering in Kabul ISKP later claimed responsibility 183 On 11 August a senior Taliban cleric Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani was blown up and killed in a suicide bombing during an Islamic seminary in Kabul ISKP later claimed responsibility for the attack 29 See also August 2022 Kabul mosque bombing On 17 August a mosque in Kabul was attacked during evening prayers It was reported that happen a huge explosion with 21 killed including the mosque s imam Amir Muhammad Kabuli Another 33 people were injured 184 See also 2022 Herat mosque bombing On 2 September a bombing at a mosque in Herat killed at least 18 people and wounded 23 others A senior Taliban cleric Mujib Rahman Ansari was killed in the blast 30 185 See also Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul On 5 September At least eight dead in an attack claimed by the self styled Islamic State in Afghanistan In the explosion near the Russian embassy a security guard and the second secretary of the delegation have died In addition four Afghan Taliban police officers have also been killed 186 187 An unclear number of people were injured in the bombing RIA Novosti reported 15 to 20 wounded 188 189 See also September 2022 Kabul mosque bombing On 23 September 2022 a car bomb exploded outside a mosque in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood of Kabul Afghanistan The explosion happened just as worshippers were leaving the building after finishing Friday prayers Police said that seven people had been killed and 41 injured 190 191 Further information September 2022 Kabul school bombing On 30 September 2022 a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kaaj education center in Dashte Barchi a Hazara neighborhood in Kabul killing at least 52 people and injuring 110 others On 5 October 2022 4 people were blown up and killed and a further 25 were wounded by an explosion at a mosque at the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kabul 192 On 22 October 2022 The Taliban killed six ISKP members during a raid in Kabul A Taliban spokesman says they were responsible for the September 2022 Kabul mosque bombing and the September 2022 Kabul school bombing 193 Main article 2022 Aybak bombing On 30 November 2022 at least 15 people were killed in a bombing at a madrasa in Aybak 194 On 2 December 2022 2 men disguised in burqas attack a mosque while former Mujahideen leader and Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was inside The attackers killed a civilian and injured two others before being shot dead by security guards Hekmatyar was unhurt 195 Further information 2022 Kabul hotel attack On 12 December 2022 insurgents attacked a hotel popular with Chinese nationals in Kabul Afghanistan 196 197 At least three civilians were killed Eighteen others including foreigners are reported to be among those injured 198 196 Islamic State Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack 199 Kabul s Emergency Hospital run by an Italian non profit near the attacked hotel in the Shahr e Naw area reported receiving 21 casualties 18 injured and three dead on arrival 198 On 27 December 2022 ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bombing that killed Abdulhaq Abu Omar the Taliban police chief of the country s northeastern Badakhshan province 200 Omar is believed to be the highest ranking Taliban security official slain since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 31 2023 edit On 1 January at least 10 people were killed and 8 others were wounded by an explosion at the entrance to the military airport in Kabul the Afghan capital on New Year s morning 01 01 2023 the Afghan Interior Ministry reported without providing further details or the exact number of victims 201 The jihadist group Islamic State IS today claimed responsibility for the attack against a surveillance post in the military zone of the Kabul airport and identified the suicide bomber the same one who attacked a hotel frequented by Chinese citizens three weeks ago in the Afghan capital 202 On 5 January a Taliban spokesperson stated that its forces have killed eight Islamic State insurgents including foreign nationals accusing them of having a main role in the attack on Longan hotel These killings along with seven arrests took place in a series of raids in Kabul and the western Nimruz Province 203 On 11 January at least 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul according to Information Ministry official Ustad Fareedun Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State 204 On 27 February the Taliban forces killed two Islamic State militants who they described as key commanders 205 On 9 March three people including Mohammad Dawood Muzamil the Taliban appointed governor of Balkh Province were killed by an explosion at his office 206 On 17 March the Taliban killed several Islamic State Khorasan Province insurgents and seized weapons and ammunition during raids on hideouts in Mazar i Sharif Balkh Province 207 On 4 April six Islamic State members were killed during a raid by the Taliban in Balkh Province 208 In 2023 Taliban security forces killed the head of the ISIS cell responsible for the 2021 Kabul airport attack 209 On 6 June ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for a car bombing which killed the Taliban appointed Deputy Governor of Badakhstan 210 It was also reported that the Deputy Governor who was killed was in fact Badakhstan s acting Governor 211 On 8 June 2023 a bombing took place during a mourning service at a mosque in Fayzabad Badakhshan Province northern Afghanistan At least 13 people were killed in the blast while more than 30 more were injured The deputy governor of the province Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi who was killed that week in a car bombing was remembered during the memorial service The bombing happened close to the Nabawi Mosque in Fayzabad the province s capital 212 213 214 215 216 217 ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack which was aimed at Taliban officials who were attending the service and also claimed at least 20 senior Taliban officials were killed and 50 others were injured a higher figure than what the Taliban reported 218 219 On June 22 2023 ISIS magazine Khurasan Ghag Voice of Khurasan released an issue titled Shari a Evaluation of Mullah Hibbatullah s Deceptive Words which accused the Taliban of actually being proxy fighters of unbeliever intelligence agencies and also dubbed the Afghan Taliban s Islamic System government to not be in compliance with Sharia law 220 The magazine further accused Western powers of aiding the Taliban s return to power because they assumed that Ashraf Ghani s government would collapse and sought to maintain influence with a regime change pointing out the Taliban s efforts to build relations with the United States and how the change in government did not end the nation s reliance on American dollars 220 On October 13 2023 an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in Puli Khumri killing seven and injuring fifteen 221 Notes edit Estimates of IS K strength in 2016 varied widely The United States Armed Forces estimated between 1 000 and 3 000 whereas Afghan officials judged IS K to have around 3 000 fighters 55 Journalists Catherine Philip and David Charter stated that it were about 3 000 to 4 000 56 One analyst put IS K s strength at up to 8 500 if one included support elements 55 References edit Afghanistan Faces Tough Battle as Haqqanis Unify the Taliban ABC News 8 May 2016 Archived from the original on 8 May 2016 Roggio Bill 12 July 2021 Taliban advances as U S completes withdrawal FDD s Long War Journal Archived from the original on 24 July 2021 Retrieved 16 July 2021 a b Roggio Bill Weiss Caleb 14 June 2016 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan faction emerges after group s collapse Long War Journal Retrieved 6 August 2017 Taliban fought IS with limited US military support US general reveals France 24 10 March 2020 Sisk Richard 11 March 2020 US Has Given Limited Support to Taliban in ISIS Fight General Says Military com Clark Dartunorro Da Silva Chantal Kube Courtney 28 August 2021 2 High Profile ISIS Targets Killed in US Drone Strike in Afghanistan Pentagon Says NBC News Retrieved 30 August 2021 Liebermann Oren Sidhu Sandi Smith Spark Laura Vandoorne Saskya Walsh Nick Paton 30 August 2021 Ten Family Members Including Children Killed in US Strike in Kabul Targeting Suspected IS K Suicide Bomber Relative Says CNN Retrieved 30 August 2021 The Odd Couple Why Iran Is Backing the Taliban Stratfor Dreazen Yochi 26 May 2016 Exclusive Iran Teams With Taliban to Fight Islamic State in Afghanistan Noorzai Roshan Sahinkaya Ezel Gul Sarwan Rahim 3 July 2020 Afghan Lawmakers Russian Support to Taliban No Secret Voice of America a b c Gannon Kathy 11 April 2022 Islamic State morphs and grows in Pakistan Afghanistan Associated Press Jalalabad Retrieved 17 November 2022 a b Johnson 2016 p 1 a b c d Mashal Mujib Shah Taimoor 9 November 2015 Afghan Fighters Loyal to ISIS Beheaded 7 Hostages Officials Say The New York Times Taliban leader Dadullah joins Afghanistan s ISIL Pakistan Today archive pakistantoday com pk 10 September 2015 Qazi Shereena 9 November 2015 Deadly Taliban infighting erupts in Afghanistan www aljazeera com پسر ملامنان نیازی به طالبان پیوست The son of Mullah Manan Niazi joined the Taliban farsnews Retrieved 12 May 2022 تاجیک ها به تاجیکستان ازبک ها به ازبکستان و هزاره ها به گورستان بروند بهار نیوز Tajiks to Tajikistan Uzbeks to Uzbekistan and Hazaras to the grave پایگاه خبری بهار نیوز in Persian 9 September 2021 Retrieved 12 May 2022 حافظ خالد نیاز پسر ملا عبدالمنان نیازی معروف به قصاب شیعیان افغانستان با انتشار ویدئیی با امارت اسلامی طالبان اعلام بیعت كرد Hafiz Khalid Niazi son of Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi known as the Shiite butcher of Afghanistan released a video declaring his allegiance to the Islamic Emirate Islamic State Khorasan IS K Center for Strategic and International Studies Why Taliban special forces are fighting Islamic State BBC News 18 December 2015 Seldin Jeff 20 March 2020 US Admits Taliban Offensive Is Whittling IS s Grip on Afghanistan Voice of America Gibbons Neff Thomas Mashal Mujib 2 December 2019 ISIS Is Losing Afghan Territory That Means Little for Its Victims The New York Times Zenn 2021 p 2 a b c Factbox Taliban announces makeup of new Afghan government Reuters 7 September 2021 a b c d e f George Susannah 23 November 2021 Taliban sends hundreds of fighters to eastern Afghanistan to wage war against Islamic State Washington Post a b Taliban Provincial Governor Vows To Fight ISIS NDTV com 6 September 2021 a b c Panda Ankit 3 February 2015 Islamic State in Afghanistan Start of a Turf War thediplomat com a b The Taliban Takes on Islamic State Insurgents Vie for Control of Northern Afghanistan Terrorism Monitor Volume 16 Issue 16 ecoi net 10 August 2018 a b Senior Taliban commander several civilians killed in Kabul hospital attack France 24 2 November 2021 a b Rahimullah Haqqani Afghan cleric killed by bomb hidden in artificial leg reports BBC 11 August 2022 a b Mosque blast kills at least 18 in Afghanistan www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 a b Islamic State Claims Attack That Killed Taliban Police Chief In Badakhshan RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty 27 December 2022 Taliban Governor of Afghan Province Killed in Blast Police Who are Isis K and what is their relationship with the Taliban The Telegraph 28 August 2021 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Shalizi Hamid 7 April 2018 Afghan air strike kills Islamic State commander Reuters via www reuters com a b c d US sanctions four ISIS K operatives working in Afghanistan alarabia net 22 November 2021 Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire Army Times 28 April 2017 Barbara Starr Ralph Ellis 8 May 2017 ISIS leader in Afghanistan was killed in raid US confirms CNN Archived from the original on 8 May 2017 Retrieved 8 May 2017 Browne Ryan 14 July 2017 US kills leader of ISIS in Afghanistan CNN Archived from the original on 14 July 2017 Retrieved 15 July 2017 Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W White on death of ISIS K leader in Afghanistan U S Department of Defense Archived from the original on 14 July 2017 Retrieved 15 July 2017 ISIL leader in Afghanistan killed in air raids aljazeera com Archived from the original on 27 August 2018 Retrieved 27 August 2018 Taliban takes on ISKP its most serious foe in Afghanistan Al Jazeera 27 September 2021 UN Islamic State replaced leader in Afghanistan after visit from central leadership FDD s Long War Journal longwarjournal org 30 July 2019 Archived from the original on 31 July 2019 Retrieved 31 July 2019 Afghan forces announce arrest of local ISIL leader Archived from the original on 5 April 2020 Retrieved 5 April 2020 a b c d e Rehman Zia Ur 15 September 2021 Afghan chaos mounts as ISIS K tries to tarnish Taliban triumph Nikkei Asia a b Leader of breakaway Taliban faction killed DAWN COM 13 November 2015 Khan Tahir 16 May 2021 Rebel Taliban leader dies of injuries days after attack Daily Times IS K intel chief killed in Kabul raid 28 February 2023 Retrieved 28 February 2023 a b Gul Ayaz 10 November 2021 Afghany Taliban Claim to Have Captured 600 IS Militants VOA Taliban say gap narrowing in talks with US over Afghanistan troop withdrawal Military Times 5 May 2019 a b c d Trofimov Yaroslav 31 October 2021 Left Behind After U S Withdrawal Some Former Afghan Spies and Soldiers Turn to Islamic State The Wall Street Journal a b c Janjua Haroon 2 November 2021 Twenty dead after suspected Isis K attack on Kabul hospital The Times Several former Afghan government troops and intelligence agents have defected to Islamic State the terrorist group which carried out yesterday s attack on a hospital in Kabul Why Taliban special forces are fighting Islamic State BBC News 18 December 2015 a b Walsh Joe 27 August 2021 What Is ISIS K Or IS K This Afghan Terror Group And Taliban Enemy Is Suspected In Kabul Airport Bombing Forbes Taliban Sweep in Afghanistan Follows Years of U S Miscalculations The New York Times 14 August 2021 Archived from the original on 17 August 2021 Retrieved 17 August 2021 a b c d e f Johnson 2016 p 2 Philp Catherine Charter David 27 August 2021 Isis K an acute and growing risk Red on Red Analyzing Afghanistan s Intra Insurgency Violence Combating Terrorism Center at West Point 24 January 2018 UCDP Uppsala Conflict Data Program ucdp uu se Retrieved 3 December 2020 UNAMA report records heavy toll on Afghan civilians by IED attacks UNAMA 27 June 2023 Retrieved 30 June 2023 a b Masood Salman ur Rehman Zia 22 February 2022 To Preserve Its Own Stability Pakistan Must Stabilize Afghanistan First The New York Times Retrieved 2 March 2022 Afghan Taliban Group Backs IS But Only Abroad RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty Retrieved 18 August 2021 Kakar Javid Hamim 31 January 2022 د طالبانو د ملا رسول ډله له اوسني نظامه ملاتړ اعلانوي The Mullah Rasul faction of the Taliban has announced its support for the current regime Pajhwok Afghan News in Pashto Retrieved 1 June 2022 Sayed Abdul 20 November 2020 Islamic State Khorasan Province s Peshawar Seminary Attack and War Against Afghan Taliban Hanafis Jamestown The Afghan Taliban s scholars are strict Deobandis and suppressed the Salafist trend when they came to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s However the post 9 11 U S invasion of Afghanistan provided Salafists with an opportunity to thrive because the religious duty of defensive war against infidel American invaders forced the Afghan Taliban to ally with Salafists Salafists therefore remained either foot soldiers or part of small groups under the Afghan Taliban s command Sayed 2021 Afghan Salafists had previously faced several bans by the Afghan Taliban during the Taliban s pre 9 11 rule Since that time the Salafist s main issue with the Taliban was that Sufi and Maturidi Hanafists dominated Taliban ranks This resulted in the unofficial Taliban bans on Afghan Salafists in the pre 9 11 era As a result Afghan Salafists shifted to Peshawar The U S invasion of Afghanistan following the 9 11 attacks meant the Taliban faced a strong enemy for which it needed every Afghans support The Afghan Salafists decided to put aside their sectarian differences of the past with the Taliban to join them in the greater jihad against the United States 12 The Middle Eastern Salafists in al Qaeda s rank and file further mediated the situation between the Afghan Salafists and the Taliban unifying them for the more significant religious duty of fighting against the United States and its allies in Afghanistan A P Buys Worldwide Television News The New York Times 3 June 1998 Retrieved 30 October 2014 Rana Muhammad Amir 5 September 2021 The Khorasan chapter threat DAWN COM Retrieved 6 September 2021 Sayed 2021 pp 10 11 Sayed 2021 pp 10 11 disgruntled members of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan TTP or the Pakistani Taliban founded ISKP soon afterwards ISKP became a Salafist dominated group and shifted to Nangarhar province in Afghanistan Afghan Salafists also took charge of ISKP after its founding Pakistani leaders who had defected from TTP were killed in the U S drone strikes and counter terrorism operations in Nangarhar Sayed 2021 pp 11 12 Sayed Abdul 20 November 2020 Islamic State Khorasan Province s Peshawar Seminary Attack and War Against Afghan Taliban Hanafis Jamestown Pashtun Salafist figures convened in Peshawar under the leadership of Shaikh Abdul Aziz Nooristani and Haji Hayatullah who is the nephew of Shaikh Jamil ur Rehman and pledged an oath of loyalty to the Afghan Taliban and condemned IS K They requested protection from the Afghan Taliban for the Salafist community Salafists ostensibly are now loyal to the Afghan Taliban Ahl e Hadith clerics announce allegiance to Taliban in Nangarhar Afghan Islamic Press 1 November 2021 Archived from the original on 13 November 2021 a b Johnson 2016 p 3 Bombs kill 11 in Afghanistan as Taliban ISIS supporters clash Al Arabiya English 26 May 2015 a b Goldstein Joseph 4 June 2015 In ISIS the Taliban Face an Insurgent Threat of Their Own The New York Times Taliban on Taliban turf war erupts in Afghanistan www worldbulletin net Siddique Abubakar 30 November 2015 Afghan Taliban Detail Fight Against Uzbek IS Militants Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty Kaplan Michael 5 January 2016 Taliban Launches Anti ISIS Offensive Afghan Insurgents Capture Two Districts From Islamic State Group International Business Times At least 31 militants killed in clashes between Taliban Daesh in Afghanistan Daily Sabah 6 January 2016 Botelho Greg Popalzai Masoud 2 February 2016 Official U S strikes ISIS radio station in Afghanistan CNN Rasmussen Sune Engel 10 March 2016 Dozens killed in clashes between rival Taliban factions in Afghanistan The Guardian via www theguardian com 30 Killed as Taliban ISIS Terrorists Clash in Afghanistan Alwaght com 26 April 2016 27 killed 11 wounded as clash erupts among Taliban and ISIS in Nangarhar The Khaama Press News Agency 19 May 2016 Martinez Luis 13 August 2016 Top ISIS Leader in Afghanistan Killed in US Airstrike ABC News Daesh Commander Killed By Taliban In Farah TOLOnews 30 October 2016 Drone footage shows MOAB drop in Afghanistan 14 April 2017 via YouTube Rasmussen Sune Engel 14 April 2017 It felt like the heavens were falling Afghans reel from MOAB impact The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 14 April 2017 U S drops mother of all bombs in Afghanistan marking weapon s first use CBS News 13 April 2017 Retrieved 13 April 2017 Tomlinson Lucas 13 April 2017 US drops largest non nuclear bomb in Afghanistan after Green Beret killed Fox News Retrieved 13 April 2017 Starr Barbara Browne Ryan US drops largest non nuclear bomb in Afghanistan CNN Retrieved 13 April 2017 Rasmussen Sune Engel 15 April 2017 US mother of all bombs killed 92 Isis militants say Afghan officials The Guardian Saif Shadi Khan 26 April 2017 Nearly 100 dead as Taliban Daesh clash in Afghanistan www aa com tr Retrieved 25 March 2023 ISIS in Afghanistan is attacking the Taliban killing dozens Business Insider 26 April 2017 Yousafzai Sami 17 June 2015 Iran and the Afghan Taliban Teaming Up Against ISIS The Daily Beast via www thedailybeast com Yusufzai Mushtaq Rahim Fazul 20 May 2015 Afghan Taliban Officials Pay Fruitful Visit to Iran NBC News Retrieved 25 March 2023 Moore Jack 27 November 2017 The Taliban executes one of its own commanders for colluding with ISIS Newsweek Ramani Samuel 21 July 2018 Why Has Russia Invited the Taliban to Moscow The Diplomat Archived from the original on 20 July 2018 Sahak Matin Mackenzie James 20 July 2018 Kasolowsky Raissa ed Families flee as Taliban battle Islamic State in northern Afghanistan Reuters Additional reporting by Qadir Sediqi via www reuters com Roggio Bill 1 August 2018 Taliban says Islamic State has been completely defeated in Jawzjan www longwarjournal org Brown Daniel 17 July 2018 ISIS just ambushed and killed 15 Taliban fighters as the terror groups wage a bloody battle while the US watches Business Insider Janjua Haroon Tomlinson Hugh 7 August 2018 Taliban asks US to stop airstrikes so it can crush Isis The Times Heavy clashes underway between Taliban ISIS militants in two districts of Kunar The Khaama Press News Agency 22 June 2019 https pbs twimg com media D Qy82 X4AAPVvm jpg bare URL image file Islamic State renewed bay ah from Khorasan province IFI Monitoring 1 July 2019 Archived from the original on 1 July 2019 https pbs twimg com media EA6Hu9oXkAUU4xG format jpg amp name small permanent dead link Islamic State 1 October 2019 Archived from the original on 1 October 2019 a b c Sayed 2021 p 9 Sayed 2021 pp 9 10 Morgan Wesley 22 October 2020 Our secret Taliban air force The Washington Post Archived from the original on 22 October 2020 Retrieved 30 January 2022 Schogol Jeff 10 December 2020 General confirms the US has helped the Taliban by launching drone strikes against ISIS Task amp Purpose Retrieved 30 January 2022 Explained Who are Islamic State Khorasan the terror group that carried out Kabul Airport blast Firstpost 27 August 2021 a b Sayed 2021 p 10 Sayed 2021 p 12 Picheta Rob Wagner Meg Mahtani Melissa Macaya Melissa Rocha Veronica Alfonso III Fernando 26 August 2021 Afghanistan news Latest on blasts reported outside Kabul airport Pasko Simcha 27 August 2021 Biden on Kabul suicide bombings We will hunt you down and make you pay The Jerusalem Post Jpost com Ross Jamie Rohrlich Justin Yousafzai Sami Ibrahim Noor 26 August 2021 Sheer Chaos At Least 13 U S Troops Killed as Blasts Rock Kabul Airport The Daily Beast Lister Tim Kottasova Ivana Starr Barbara Atwood Kylie Walsh Nick Paton Kiley Sam Cohen Zachary Hansler Jennifer 26 August 2021 US troops and Afghans killed in suicide attacks outside Kabul airport CNN Retrieved 25 March 2023 Cooper Helene Schmitt Eric Gibbons Neff Thomas 27 August 2021 As U S Troops Searched Afghans a Bomber in the Crowd Moved In The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 28 August 2021 Shaw Adam Tomlinson Lucas Y Griffin Jennifer 26 August 2021 Afghanistan explosions 13 US service members killed in Kabul airport blast more wounded officials say Fox News Biden Vows to Finish Mission Hunt Attackers Afghanistan Update Bloomberg News 26 August 2021 Taliban condemns suicide bombing at Kabul airport Fox News 26 August 2021 Archived from the original on 26 August 2021 Retrieved 26 August 2021 Farmer Ben 27 August 2021 Ambitious new Isis K leader becomes Taliban s most wanted enemy after Kabul attacks The Daily Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 28 August 2021 Retrieved 27 August 2021 Zolkepli Farik 28 August 2021 Taliban claims to have caught two Malaysians fighting for IS K in Kabul The Star a b Mackenzie James 9 November 2021 Collett White Mike ed Islamic State violence dents Taliban claims of safer Afghanistan Reuters Archived from the original on 9 November 2021 Retrieved 13 November 2021 Afghanistan Several dead as blasts rock Jalalabad and Kabul Al Jazeera 18 September 2021 Retrieved 19 September 2021 Two Taliban among three killed in Jalalabad attack The Express Tribune 22 September 2021 Retrieved 25 March 2023 Taliban raid ISIS haven in Parwan province kill arrest several affiliates IndiaTVNews com 3 October 2021 Levine Jon 3 October 2021 Gunmen kills two Taliban members in Jalalabad New York Post Kullab Samya 3 October 2021 Bomb at Kabul mosque kills 5 civilians Taliban say AP NEWS Retrieved 25 March 2023 Afganistan una explosion en Kabul deja al menos cinco muertos informan los talibanes France 24 3 October 2021 At least 5 killed after blast targets memorial service in Kabul www aljazeera com ISIS claims responsibility for bombing near a mosque in Kabul NINA News Taliban destroy IS K cell after Kabul mosque bombing DW 04 10 2021 Deutsche Welle Picture of one of the Taliban militants killed in this evening s mosque blast in Khost which was caused by a grenade as per TB sources liveuamap com Afghanistan Death toll from explosion at school in Khost reaches 7 ANI News Taliban says four ISIS members captured in raid near Kabul The Straits Times 7 October 2021 ISIS has claimed responsibility for the capture and summary execution of a rival Taliban militant in District 2 of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad liveuamap com Afghanistan IS K bomber Muhammed al Uyghuri that detonated his PBIED in Kunduz killing 40 100 in a Shiite mosque He is noted by ISIS to be a Uyghur framed in response to the Taliban amp their relations with China He s holding a likely local copy Zigana T pattern pistol liveuamap com Suicide bombing at Afghanistan s Kunduz mosque kills at least 55 worshippers South China Morning Post 8 October 2021 Beaumont Peter 8 October 2021 Shia mosque bombing kills dozens in Afghan city of Kunduz The Guardian Islamic State Khorasan claims responsibility for suicide bombing at Kunduz mosque 100 dead Taliban We will not work with the United States to contain ISIS AsumeTech com 9 October 2021 ISIS has claimed responsibility for the assassination of two rival Taliban militants in District 7 of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad liveuamap com Taliban Police Chief Killed In Bomb Attack In Eastern Afghanistan RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty Retrieved 25 March 2023 Jones Harrison 15 October 2021 Four suicide bombers kill and injure dozens of people in Kandahar mosque blasts Metro Retrieved 25 March 2023 Linares Vicenta 15 October 2021 Afganistan Decenas de muertos tras explosiones en la mezquita de Kandahar RFI a b Spotlight on Global Jihad October 21 27 2021 The Meir Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 28 October 2021 ISIS has claimed responsibility for shooting and killing 2 rival Taliban militants in District 1 of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad liveuamap com Dos civiles muertos en un nuevo ataque terrorista en Afganistan 23 October 2021 17 people killed in clash between Taliban group of armed men in Herat aninews in Krishnan Ananth 28 October 2021 Eye on Afghanistan China to build military base in Tajikistan TheHindu com Un centenar de yihadistas se entregan a los talibanes en Afganistan DW 31 10 2021 Deutsche Welle in European Spanish 31 October 2021 Zenn 2021 p 2 3 More than 20 killed in attack on Kabul military hospital BBC News 2 November 2021 Explosions and gun attack on central Kabul hospital kill 25 people The Guardian Reuters 2 November 2021 Retrieved 2 November 2021 Today s second claim from ISKP ISKP claiming to have assassinated a Taliban judge in a gun attack in PD 2 Jalalabad Nangarhar liveuamap com Taliban deaths in Islamic State clashes The West Australian 7 November 2021 ISIS K claims responsibility for Saturday s explosion in Kabul aninews in Spotlight on Global Jihad November 11 17 2021 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 18 November 2021 At least four killed as Taliban crack down on ISIS hideouts in southern Afghanistan The National 15 November 2021 ISIS Everywhere in Afghanistan The UN Worries albawaba com Spotlight on Global Jihad November 18 24 2021 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 25 November 2021 Spotlight on Global Jihad November 25 December 1 2021 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 2 December 2021 Lalzoy Najibullah 30 November 2021 Taliban s ops on Daesh in Nangarhar province three Daesh affiliates killed four Taliban wounded Khaama Press Agency a b c Spotlight on Global Jihad December 2 8 2021 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 9 December 2021 No place for ISIS in Afghanistan say Taliban Tribune com 8 December 2021 Taliban rule marked by killings litany of abuses UN says AlJazeera Spotlight on Global Jihad January 5 12 2022 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 13 January 2021 Spotlight on Global Jihad January 13 19 2022 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 20 January 2021 ISKP claiming two attacks against Taliban IED MIED blast targeting Taliban vehicle in Kama district of Nangarhar claiming to have wounded 4 Targeted assassination of Taliban member in Taloqan Takhar day before yesterday liveuamap com Archived from the original on 12 May 2022 Retrieved 9 February 2022 Spotlight on Global Jihad January 27 February 2 2022 The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre 3 February 2022 Zakaria Fareed 13 February 2022 On GPS Pakistan s PM on the crisis in Afghanistan CNN Retrieved 2 March 2022 ISIS has claimed responsibility for an IED attack targeting a vehicle carrying rival Taliban militants in District 5 of the Afghan capital Kabul Kabul Kabul Afghanistan news map security alerts from Afghanistan afghanistan liveuamap com Archived from the original on 17 April 2022 Retrieved 2 April 2022 Gannon Kathy 11 April 2022 Islamic State morphs and grows in Pakistan Afghanistan Stars and Stripes Archived from the original on 11 April 2022 Retrieved 12 April 2022 Johnson Bridget 11 April 2022 ISIS Calls for Social Media Warfare to Counter Enchanting Influencers and Incite HS Today Pascual Juan Carlos De Santos 19 April 2022 Dos atentados contra escuelas matan al menos a 6 personas en Kabul Euronews Gannon Kathy Amin Mohammad Shaob 22 April 2022 Death toll in Afghan mosque bombing rises to 33 Taliban official says Los Angeles Times Retrieved 25 March 2023 Afghanistan At least 10 killed in explosion at Kabul mosque www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Barberena Ramiro Cue 29 April 2022 Explosion contra mezquita en Kabul deja decenas de victimas mortales France 24 Blasts cut power to millions in Afghanistan before Eid holiday www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Elhamy Ahmad 25 May 2022 Adler Leslie ed Islamic State claims responsibility for attack in Afghan city of Mazar i Sharif Reuters Archived from the original on 25 May 2022 Akbarzai Sahar Mehsud Saleem Chen Heather 19 June 2022 Islamic State says attack on Sikh temple is revenge for Prophet insults CNN Two Taliban Police Officers Killed in Kabul by Alleged Islamic State Khorasan Gunman Radiofreeeurope Radioliberty Gul Ayaz 5 August 2022 Islamic State Bombing Kills 8 Afghan Shiite Mourners in Kabul VoaNews UN condemns deadly attack in Afghanistan Xinhua english news cn Retrieved 21 August 2022 Gul Ayaz 2 September 2022 Top Taliban Cleric Among 18 Killed in Afghan Mosque Bombing VOA News El Daesh reivindica el mortal ataque contra la embajada Rusa en Kabul 5 September 2022 Two Russian embassy staff among six killed in Kabul suicide blast www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 V Kabule progremel vzryv v rajone gde raspolozheno rossijskoe posolstvo RIA Novosti in Russian 5 September 2022 Retrieved 25 March 2023 Volkova Julija Kuznecova Evgenija 5 September 2022 Dva sotrudnika posolstva Rossii pogibli pri vzryve v Kabule RBK in Russian Retrieved 25 March 2023 Greenfield Charlotte Yawar Mohammad Yunus 23 September 2022 Blast near Kabul mosque after Friday prayers kills at least seven people Reuters Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Faiez Rahim Noroozi Ebrahim 23 September 2022 Taliban Car bomb near Kabul mosque kills 7 wounds 41 The Seattle Times Retrieved 25 March 2023 Four killed in bombing at Afghan Interior Ministry mosque Al Jazeera 5 October 2022 Yawar Mohammad Yunus Greenfield Charlotte 22 October 2022 Birsel Robert ed Taliban kill six Islamic State members in raid in Kabul Reuters Archived from the original on 22 October 2022 Students among 15 killed in Afghan school blast www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Ex Afghan PM Hekmatyar escapes unhurt after his building attacked in Kabul 1 killed 2 injured ANI News Retrieved 25 March 2023 a b Kabul hotel attack ends as three gunmen killed Pakistan Today 12 December 2022 Retrieved 13 December 2022 Rai Arpan 12 December 2022 Explosion gunshots heard in Kabul as gunmen attack hotel housing foreigners The Independent Retrieved 13 December 2022 a b Kabul hotel attack ends as three gunmen killed two foreigners injured Reuters 12 December 2022 Archived from the original on 2 January 2023 Retrieved 12 December 2022 Mukhtar Ahmad 13 December 2022 Kabul hotel used by China nationals attacked as perceived allies of Afghanistan s Taliban rulers are targeted CBS News Retrieved 13 December 2022 IS claims Afghan car bombing that killed local police chief Associated Press 27 December 2022 Retrieved 31 December 2022 Afghanistan Explosion at military airfield kills several DW 01 01 2023 dw com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack Reuters 2 January 2023 Archived from the original on 2 January 2023 Retrieved 25 March 2023 Taliban says eight ISIL fighters killed in raids in Afghanistan www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Deadly suicide blast outside Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul www aljazeera com 11 January 2023 Retrieved 11 January 2023 Gul Ayaz 27 February 2023 Taliban Forces Kill Top IS Commanders in Afghanistan VOA Retrieved 28 February 2023 Taliban Governor Of Afghan Province Killed In Blast Police www barrons com Retrieved 25 March 2023 Afghan security forces raid IS hideouts kill insurgents official Xinhua english news cn Retrieved 25 March 2023 Taliban raid kills six ISIS members in Afghanistan s Balkh province Al Arabiya English 4 April 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 Demirjian Karoun Schmitt Eric 25 April 2023 Taliban Kill Head of ISIS Cell That Bombed Kabul Airport The New York Times Washington D C Retrieved 25 April 2023 ISKP Claims Killing Taliban s Deputy Governor for Badakhshan in Car Bombing SITE Intelligence Group 6 June 2023 Retrieved 7 June 2023 Afghan provincial governor killed in car bombing www aljazeera com Retrieved 5 July 2023 Yawar Mohammad Yunus 8 June 2023 Blast in northern Afghanistan kills 11 during funeral of deputy governor Reuters Retrieved 5 July 2023 Afghanistan Explosion reported at mosque in Fayzabad Badakhshan Province June 8 during high profile funeral prayers Afghanistan Explosion reported at mosque in Fayzabad Badakhshan Province June 8 during high profile funeral prayers Crisis24 Retrieved 5 July 2023 Farzam Ahmad 8 June 2023 Ex police chief killed in Badakhshan mosque bombing Retrieved 5 July 2023 Globovision Al menos 10 muertos y mas de 40 heridos en una explosion en una mezquita en Afganistan Globovision in Spanish Retrieved 5 July 2023 Al menos 11 muertos y mas de 30 heridos en una explosion en una mezquita www eluniversal com co in European Spanish 8 June 2023 Retrieved 5 July 2023 Once muertos en Afganistan en atentado durante funeral de un gobernador SWI swissinfo ch in Spanish 8 June 2023 Retrieved 5 July 2023 Daesh Claims Responsibility For Afghanistan Mosque Explosion Khaama Press 10 June 2023 Retrieved 5 July 2023 https www aninews in news world asia afghanistan is claims responsibility for badakhshan mosque bombing20230612002227 a b Issue 22 Of ISKP s Pashtu Language Magazine Khurasan Ghag Dubs Afghan Taliban To Be Proxy Fighters Of Unbeliever Intelligence Agencies And Accuses Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Hibbatullah Akhundzada Of Trying To Change The Real Face Of Islam MEMRI 22 June 2023 Retrieved 22 June 2023 Suicide blast at mosque kills 7 in northern Afghanistan Hindustan Times 13 October 2023 Works cited edit Johnson Casey Garret November 2016 The Rise and Stall of the Islamic State in Afghanistan PDF Special Report Washington D C United States Institute of Peace 395 9 13 Sayed Abdul September 2021 The Taliban s Persistent War on Salafists in Afghanistan PDF Terrorism Monitor Washington D C Jamestown Foundation 19 18 9 13 Zenn Jacob 5 November 2021 Briefs PDF Terrorism Monitor Jamestown Foundation 19 21 1 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Islamic State Taliban conflict amp oldid 1189125834, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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