ISIS regrouping after its defeat in Afghanistan

Sherif Abdel Zaher

In a drastic development, the Islamic State, aka Daesh, has lost ground in Afghanistan with its defeat in Nangarhar, north of the country. The Afghan forces defeated Daesh in Nangarhar and more than 600 of its members surrendered to the government’s troops.

The Afghan branch of ISIS named itself the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K). Khorasan was the name of many parts in Iran and Afghanistan in the past.

Although Gen. Austin S. Miller, the commander of all American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the group’s loss of the terrain it had held was a blow to the group, he warned that the threat of ISIS would remain in Afghanistan.

Researcher Hisham El-Naggar, an expert on Islamist groups, said the members of the organization are relocating ISIS to the neighboring regions after its defeat in the Nangarhar region.

“The locals in this region are ISIS allies and fully aware of the Afghan army’s moves and locations,” El-Naggar told THE REFERENCE.

The researcher has stressed that there are strong ties between the armed groups and ISIS in Afghanistan.