The Shadow Of Isis In Afghanistan: A Historical Perspective

ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS, first emerged in Afghanistan in 2015. The group is an affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and was founded by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban. ISIS-K aims to establish an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East and Asia and views itself as a global operation. The group has carried out numerous attacks in Afghanistan, targeting civilian centres, including hospitals, universities, and even a maternity ward. In 2017, the US annihilated ISIS-K strongholds in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province with a massive ordnance air blast, killing 96 ISIS-K members. Despite efforts to eradicate the group, ISIS-K has continued to carry out attacks and remains a threat to the stability of Afghanistan.

ISIS-K is an offshoot of ISIS, which emerged in Afghanistan in 2015

ISIS-K, also known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, is an offshoot of ISIS, which emerged in Afghanistan in 2015. ISIS-K is a regional branch of the Salafi jihadist group Islamic State (IS) and is active in South and Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group's name comes from the Khorasan Province, a historical region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

ISIS-K was founded by disaffected members of the Taliban who embraced a more extreme interpretation of Islam. The group aims to establish a “pure” Islamic system or caliphate in Afghanistan and the broader region. To achieve this goal, ISIS-K has targeted civilians, particularly Shia Muslims, politicians, and government employees in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have also carried out attacks against the Taliban, their rival Islamist group in Afghanistan.

ISIS-K's relationship with ISIS is complex. While ISIS-K shares an ideology and tactics with ISIS, the extent of their operational coordination is unclear. ISIS-K has received support and funding from core ISIS leadership, but it is not known if they report directly to ISIS or have their activities coordinated by them. ISIS-K's leadership is appointed by ISIS, but they operate with a degree of autonomy in their day-to-day activities.

Since its emergence, ISIS-K has posed a significant threat to Afghanistan's security and the Taliban's ability to govern. The group has carried out numerous deadly attacks, including the 2021 bombing at the Kabul airport during the U.S. withdrawal, which killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 civilians. ISIS-K's ability to carry out mass-casualty attacks and their resurgence in recent years have raised concerns about their potential to further destabilize Afghanistan and threaten international interests.

ISIS-K's goals include establishing a pure Islamic system in Afghanistan

ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS, emerged in 2015 in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is the Afghanistan affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS-K's ultimate strategic goal is to establish a "pure" Islamic system in Afghanistan.

ISIS-K's emergence can be traced back to disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban who embraced a more violent version of Islam. The group's initial aims were broad: they advocated for mass-casualty attacks against civilians and states, intending to topple the Pakistani government, punish the Iranian government for being a "vanguard" of Shias, and purify Afghanistan.

Over the years, ISIS-K's goals have evolved as they have faced military campaigns from the U.S. government, the former Afghan government, and the Afghan Taliban. Since at least 2017, their anti-Pakistan and anti-Iran priorities have been replaced by a broad-reaching anti-Taliban and anti-Afghan religious minorities agenda.

ISIS-K subscribes to the Jihadi-Salafism ideology and emphasizes the 'purity' of its anti-idolatry credentials. They view the Taliban as irreconcilable enemies who need to be militarily defeated. The Taliban, on the other hand, subscribe to an alternative Sunni Islamic sectarian school, which ISIS-K regards as deficient.

ISIS-K's regional and transnational terrorism ambitions are a significant concern. The group has foreign fighters from South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. They have also plotted transnational attacks from Afghanistan, including in Europe and Russia.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan presents both opportunities and challenges for ISIS-K. On the one hand, ISIS-K can gain support from anti-Taliban and Taliban-disillusioned Islamist constituencies. On the other hand, the Taliban's military power and control of security institutions pose a major constraint for ISIS-K.

ISIS-K's resilience stems from its members' high degree of motivation, their network of alliances with other jihadi groups, and their ability to attract disaffected members of the Taliban and other militants from Pakistan and beyond.

ISIS-K is recruiting young children to join the jihad

ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS, has been recruiting young children to join the jihad in Afghanistan. ISIS-K is the Afghanistan affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It emerged in 2015 after ISIS declared its caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS-K has been targeting young children to join the jihad in Afghanistan. In 2016, Britain's ITV News obtained a video of young boys holding assault rifles in a convoy of ISIS-flagged vehicles in Mosul, Iraq. The video was taken as the convoy of captured Iraqi army vehicles rolled through the city of Mosul. While it was not confirmed if the boys in the video were child soldiers recruited by ISIS, the footage emerged just two days after Human Rights Watch reported that ISIS had "systematically sought to recruit children" in neighbouring Syria.

ISIS-K has been targeting children through schools, mosques, and other religious institutions. ISIS-K has been providing free lectures and schooling that include weapons and military training. They have been entering schools and providing education in mosques that includes weapons and military training. ISIS-K has also been targeting children through social media and online forums. They have been using Twitter and Telegram to reach out to potential child recruits. ISIS-K has also been known to target children through their parents. They have been reaching out to entire families, offering a place for their spouse and children.

ISIS-K has been known to use coercion and violence to recruit children. There have been reports of children being severely beaten and even executed for failing at training or missing their parents too much. ISIS-K has also been known to target children who are vulnerable, such as orphans or those from disadvantaged backgrounds. They have also been known to target children who are already radicalized or exposed to violent conflict.

ISIS-K's recruitment of children has raised concerns among researchers and policymakers. ISIS-K's use of children does not follow the trends of previous conflicts. They are not used because they provide a specific technical advantage in combat or because they are short of fighters. Child soldiers are treated no differently than adult soldiers. This raises concerns about the potential for military encounters between coalition-backed forces and ISIS child fighters. It also raises questions about what to do with indoctrinated children if ISIS-K is dismantled.

ISIS-K is a rival of the Taliban, which it considers impure and not extremist enough

ISIS-K, also known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, is a rival of the Taliban. ISIS-K considers the Taliban impure and not extremist enough. ISIS-K subscribes to the Jihadi-Salafism ideology and prioritises the 'purity' of its anti-idolatry credentials. The Taliban, on the other hand, subscribe to the Hanafi madhhab, an alternative Sunni Islamic sectarian school, which ISIS-K regards as deficient.

ISIS-K was founded in 2015 by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban, who then embraced a more violent version of Islam. The group has recruited from the Pakistani insurgent group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, as well as the Afghan Taliban. ISIS-K's members generally hold the view that the Taliban are filthy nationalists, focused only on Afghanistan, while ISIS-K aspires to establish an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East and Asia.

ISIS-K has carried out hundreds of attacks since its founding, including an attack on a girls' school in Kabul in May 2021, killing 85 and wounding 275 students. ISIS-K is also known for its brutality, with attacks targeting civilian centres such as hospitals, universities, and a maternity ward.

ISIS-K's attack on Kabul airport in August 2021, which killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 civilians, was meant to undermine the Taliban and cast doubt on their ability to govern and maintain order and security in Afghanistan. The attack raised ISIS-K's international profile and positioned them as a major threat to the Taliban's ability to govern.

ISIS-K has carried out hundreds of attacks since its founding, including the 2021 Kabul airport bombing

ISIS-K, also known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, is an offshoot of ISIS that emerged in 2015. It is composed of disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban who have embraced a more violent version of Islam. ISIS-K has conducted hundreds of attacks since its founding, including the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, which killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghan civilians. The group has also targeted schools, hospitals, universities, and a maternity ward, demonstrating its brutality and willingness to conduct high-profile civilian attacks.

ISIS-K's attacks are not limited to Afghanistan; they have also conducted attacks in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The group seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East and Asia and views itself as a global operation. It aspires to control territory in "the Khorasan," which refers to parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, and Iran.

The "K" in ISIS-K's name signifies the Khorasan province, and the group is known for its fanaticism and brutality. It considers the Taliban impure and not extremist enough, and the two groups are rivals. ISIS-K has a strong local focus and targets civilians, including Afghans who worked with the U.S. government and other members of the international community.

The U.S. has taken action against ISIS-K in the past, including airstrikes that killed the group's first four leaders. However, the group has rebounded and is still considered active and dangerous. ISIS-K's leader, Shahab al-Muhajir, is believed to be a former Haqqani network operative with experience in urban warfare and terrorist organization.

The Kabul airport bombing in 2021 raised ISIS-K's international profile and positioned them as a major threat to the Taliban's ability to govern Afghanistan. The attack also served to embarrass the Taliban and undermine their rule. ISIS-K has taken advantage of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan to gain support from anti-Taliban and Taliban-disillusioned Islamist constituencies.

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