Taliban launching verbal war against ISIS

Mohamed Youssri                   

The Taliban has not specified a plan for dealing with militant groups active across Afghanistan, three months after it mounted the saddle of the country.

This is especially so in relation to ISIS which called ‘Khorasan Province’.

So far, the Taliban, which is not internationally recognized, has not given the international community anything more than lip service.

It says it still plans to honor the pledges it made in negotiations with the United States, especially its pledge not to allow Afghanistan to turn into a safe haven for terrorist and militant groups.

The Taliban also vowed that it would not allow the same groups to use Afghan territories in staging attacks against other countries.

However, the movement’s position on ISIS raises several questions, including about whether the Taliban really plans to eliminate ISIS.

Some people believe that the Taliban wants to use ISIS as a card to win international recognition, obtain aid, or justify its expected failure in addressing the problems of the Afghan people.

Early pledges

The fight against terrorism was high on the agenda of the Taliban, even before it seized power in August this year.

This fight is important for the security of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, especially China, Russia and Iran.

In October this year, the Taliban said it would not allow Afghanistan to turn into a launch pad for attacks against Iran.

Maulvi Sher Ahmad Ammar Muhajir, the Taliban deputy governor in the western city of Herat, told Iranian officials meeting him in the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan that the Afghan government would not allow ISIS to use Afghanistan to launch attacks against Iran.

“The Taliban abides by all international laws and the laws of good neighborliness,” Muhajir said.

“It will never allow foreign individuals or groups, such as ISIS, to use Afghan soil against Iran,” he added.