Implications of killing of ISIS leader in Afghanistan

Mohamed Youssri

Khorasan Province, the branch of the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Afghanistan, goes through a series of ups and downs, especially since the Taliban came to power in this Asian country in August 2021.

Relations between ISIS and the Taliban have since entered a new phase of conflict.

The Taliban had pledged not to allow armed groups to turn Afghan territories as a safe haven.

This came in accordance with the outcomes of the Doha agreement which was signed in February 2021.

Murder of Qari Fateh

The Taliban announced on February 29 the killing of Qari Fateh, the leader of ISIS Khorasan.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Fateh’s killing came during a military operation.

He explained that the same operation had caused the death of three other ISIS elements, including the leader of the organization in the Indian subcontinent, Ejaz Amin Ahangar.

Mujahid noted that the operation also resulted in the arrest of a number of ISIS members, including foreign elements who planned attacks.

War

The war between ISIS and the Taliban began early, with ISIS beginning its operations soon after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.

It targeted Kabul International Airport a few hours after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital.

ISIS did this to cause embarrassment to the movement and prove it incapable of fulfilling its pledges to the US and the international community.

Ten Taliban elements were killed in the attack. ISIS also wanted to prove that it is present in Afghanistan and so strongly at that.

ISIS carried out a series of attacks against Shiite and Sufi mosques simultaneously between Helmand and Kandahar, the main stronghold of the Taliban.

The attacks left hundreds of people dead and hundreds of others injured during the first months of the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.

In early February this year, ISIS Khorasan released a third edition of Voice of Khorasan magazine.

In this edition of the magazine, the organization declared an all-out war against the Taliban.

It stressed, for the first time, that the main reason for this battle is the ideological difference between the movement and the organization.

ISIS views the Taliban as a Sufi group. It describes the Afghanistan ruling movement as a ‘bunch of grave worshippers’.

Revenge

Asian affairs specialist, Mohamed al-Sayed, described ISIS as a ‘double-edged sword’ for the Taliban.

The Taliban, he said, can benefit from ISIS presence by pressuring the international community to recognize it and allow it to form a regular army.

“The Taliban can also use ISIS presence to make military deals with other countries,” al-Sayed told The Reference.  “This can enable the movement to obtain the weapons it needs to form its military and security system.”

He noted that ISIS is also a thorn in the side of the Taliban, as it represents the most painful headache for the movement.