IS in Afg and Pak

[Khostai]

So you would put Abdullah in prison if you were in Ghani's position. Lets assume you had the power to do that(which Ghani does not). Abdullah is not just one man, he represents hundreds if not thousands of warlords. How are you going to deal with them. You certainly cant put all of them in prison, not without a fight anyways and Ghani has no Army because the army is mostly NA militia so if anyone can put anyone in Jail, it would be Abdullah putting Ghani in jail.

BTW, Abdullah's power base did threaten separation and even a coup by storming the presidential compound:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/afghan-election-rivals-hit-new-snags-1408039497

Also, the Taliban exist because of your hero Najib's failed policies. The Talibans actions are a reaction to the situation they are faced with which is Najib's fault. It is the environment that creates and dictates who should rule. Leaders are created by the environment, the environment is not created by the Leaders.

His main treat was war not seperation, Dostum knew that he was bluffing, the people who supported Abdullah are not that powerfull, just som criminal thugs, that think they are big becuase US helped them to get in power.
Najibullah is not my hero, and taliban excist due to civil war that was led by Mudjahids, were most of talibs were also part of it. So don't twist history khushal bibi.

[HalloIsBack]

ISIS (Daesh) established training camps in Farah province
By KHAAMA PRESS - Thu Jan 15 2015, 8:42 am
0 Comments1007 viewsEmail Email Print Print
ISIS in FarahThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as Daesh, has established training camps in western Farah province of Afghanistan.
According to the local government officials, the training camps have been operating in parts of Khak-e-Safid district during the past three weeks.
The district administrative chief of Khak-e-Safid, Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, has said that the terrorist group consists of 80 militants who have been actively involved in training insurgents.
Noorzai further added that the group carries ISIS flag with them and are armed with modern weapons.
He said a number of Taliban militants have also joined the group which is led by Mawlavi Abdul Malik and Mawlavi Abdul Raziq.
This comes as local residents of Sangin district in Helmand province said a group of insurgents in black uniforms have started movements in the district carrying black flags and vehicles.
A senior Afghan National Army (ANA) commander in southern Afghanistan has also confirmed that a former Taliban leader is trying to recruit people for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Helmand province.
However, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials have rejected that ISIS terrorist group is operating in Afghanistan and said there are no signs that the group has infiltrated in the country.
In the meantime, a video was released by ISIS on Saturday purports to show militant leaders who identify themselves as from Afghanistan and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP’s) former spokesman Shahidullah Shahid pledging their support to the Islamic State group.
The video obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group purportedly showing the beheading of a man whom they identify as a Pakistani military soldier.

http://www.khaama.com/isis-daesh-established-training-camps-in-farah-province-8949/

[HalloIsBack]

Fresh war to begin in Afghanistan: Ismail Khan
By KHAAMA PRESS - Thu Jan 15 2015, 1:13 pm
1 Comment1574 viewsEmail Email Print Print
Ismail Khan 2Ismail Khan, ex-minister of water and energy and a well-known Jihadi leader has expressed concern over the new insurgent groups coming to Afghanistan.
He says in coming two months the security situation of Afghanistan will worsen and a new war will begin.
He asked Afghan nation, specially Ex-Mujahideen and local elders to unite against the threats Afghanistan is facing from the insurgents.
Ismail Khan’s concern over security comes after reports published indicate the formation of new militant groups in parts of the country.
Security officials of Zabul and Helmand provinces have so far confirmed the movement of new militant groups in their provinces.
Recently a senior official in Farah province even reported the establishment of a training camp by Islamic States (IS) supporters.
Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, district administrative chief of Khak-e-Safid says a group of 80 insurgents who carry the flag of IS has established a training camp in his district.
He says the group is busy training insurgents in his district.
In Afghanistan’s neighboring Pakistan, IS supporters have released a video announcing their allegiance with the group.

http://www.khaama.com/fresh-war-to-begin-in-afghanistan-ismail-khan-28013/

[HalloIsBack]

Why the Taliban is Turning to China
By AHMAD HASIB FARHAN - Wed Jan 14 2015, 7:39 pm
0 Comments699 viewsEmail Email 1 mailPrint Print
Taliban-open-office-in-Qatar
After Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s landmark visit to China in October 2014 the Chinese government announced its full support for the Afghan peace process.
Beijing’s efforts include an invitation for the Taliban to visit China, which was accepted by the Taliban. According to a leading Pakistani newspaper, two senior Afghan Taliban visited China last November. The Taliban wants China to help negotiate a political settlement with the Afghan government.
The Taliban, particularly after they closed their headquarters in Qatar, demonstrated extreme antipathy to peace talks with Kabul. This antipathy stems from an absence of a realistic peace plan from the former Afghan government under Hamid Karzai; a reluctance from neighboring countries supporting the Afghan peace process; and political uncertainty due to prolonged elections in Afghanistan.
Yet the Taliban signaled a breakthrough in efforts to start peace negotiations by visiting China and seeking Chinese support for mediation between them and the Afghan government.
Though, the outcome of the Taliban visit to China is not clear, it gives optimism to the people and government of Afghanistan that official peace talks with the Taliban may start soon. Afghans are generally optimistic for peace after the popular presidential elections and a peaceful transition of power to new the president of the country.
Yet skeptics may ask what persuaded the Taliban to entertain diplomacy?
Strong stance of the Afghan government against Taliban
Unlike President Karzai, President Ghani has adopted a strict policy in dealing with Taliban. He has given a very clear message to the Taliban. “Do not ever threaten an Afghan with violence. We will rise as one and we will face every threat the way we have taken on thousands of previous armies and conquerors,” Ghani told CBS.
“This is the moment of destiny. Work with us to transform Asia but should you threaten our existence everybody will be destroyed, not just us,” he added, smiling.
This was message not only for the Taliban but also for those who support and shelter them. President Ghani called repeatedly upon the religious clerics to denounce Taliban activities and support government, something that rarely happened under President Karzai.
In another stance, on October 9, 2015 during a visit to Afghanistan’s largest prison, Pule-Charkhi Prison, President Ghani gave a strong message to Taliban: “Those who were involved behind the killing of children, women and Afghan security forces should be punished for their crimes.”
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum threatened the Taliban with a tough crack down. On a mission to the northern Juzjan province he gave a clear message to Taliban. “Living in peace is better that being killed.” Dostum also proclaimed that he has prepared a Special Force of 20,000 fighters to eliminate the Taliban from Afghanistan.
The Taliban realized that despite the drawdown of international security forces, General Dostum holds enough power the fight them.
Local uprisings against Taliban
Local villagers for the first time got the Taliban scrambling after they mounted a rebellion against the insurgents in the eastern province of Ghazni, back in 2012. A group of angry Afghan villagers in the Ander district of Ghazni province inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban and succeeded in banishing them from several of villages and many districts of Ghazni Province.
Today, the uprising against Taliban has reached to Paktia, Konar, Nuristan, Laghman, Faryab, Logar and Kandahar (the birth place of Taliban) provinces. Without any doubt such uprising could spread rapidly across the country and have the potential to gain a grip in displeased communities across Afghanistan. As local villagers, under Taliban-controlled areas, are extremely frustrated from the Taliban and their followers. Closing schools, pressuring the population, atrocities, and intimidation by the Taliban is no more tolerable by millions of Afghans who wants a change.
Taliban certainly have a sharp memory to recall the consequence of local uprisings if they grip the entire country. Let’s take a close look at recent uprisings in Afghanistan.
In 1838, popular uprising against the Great Britain by the Afghan people resulted in the massacre of the entire British army of 15,000, save one.
Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878, the second uprising against Great Britain, though, brutally crushed in a pre-emptive move but finally resulted the complete withdrawal of British invaders.
In 1917, the invading forces of Great Britain for the third time got wind of another impending rebellion against their occupation which resulted the full independence of Afghanistan. Proclaimed by the King Amanullah Khan in 1918.
Last, but not the least, the uprising against the Soviet Union invasion started right after their invasion in 1978. The local uprising, backed by the Islamic world and United States not only resulted in the complete withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan but the independence of many central Asian countries.
Local upraising undoubtedly alarmed Taliban that, there is no more space for them in the Afghan society.
Changing Pakistan
Pakistan is the Godfather of the Taliban that not only created but sheltered and supported the group since their birth in 1996.
Pakistan, which itself is already in turmoil due to rampant corruption, incompetent governance, economic crises and political tension, can no longer support a group of people that has no foundation in the Afghan society. International pressure on Pakistan to destroy the safe heavens of terrorist and put an end to its three decade-long covert war seems to have compelled the leaders of Pakistan to rethink its strategic depth policy in Afghanistan and stop supporting the Taliban.
The Taliban, who never had international support, were dealt a harsh blow in their ongoing battle in Afghanistan after losing a close ally in Pakistan. Thus it is time for the Taliban to talk about a political settlement.
Regional changes
In the 1930s, Pakistan’s poet-philosopher Allama Mohammad Iqbal characterized Afghanistan as Qalb-e-Asya (the Heart of Asia).
In his unique style, Iqbal wrote in Persian, and I translate:
“Asia is comparable to a living body. The heart that beats inside the body is the homeland of Afghans. The destruction of Afghans would be the destruction of Asia. In their [Afghan] progress and prosperity lies the well-being of Asia.”
After eight decades the major powers in Asia must believe these prophetic lines of Alama Iqbal and support Afghanistan in reaching a sustainable peace. Although India and Turkey played a key role over the past 14 years, China is emerging from the shadows to play a significant role in bringing peace to Afghanistan. The Heart of Asia Conference concurs the wind of change in Asia.
The Taliban got wind of these impending changes in Asia and embarked on a political struggle to protect their future by indicating a willingness to talk about a political solution to the Afghan crises.
Moreover, as the US and NATO military drawdown and Afghan security forces take full responsibility of security in the country, the Taliban lost the excuse of fighting against foreign forces. They can no longer justify the war against the Afghan forces.
Now that the Taliban stands at a crossroads between choosing a peaceful life and isolation, they seek China to help negotiate a political settlement with the Afghan government.
It is a strategic opportunity for the new Afghan government to use all instruments for bringing peace in the country. It’s important for the Afghan government to pressure the Taliban by supporting the local uprising and enhancing its ties with Pakistan and other regional nations. Afghans, like other nations, have the right to live in peace, and Kabul must use all means to bring peace to this war-weary nation.

http://www.khaama.com/why-the-taliban-is-turning-to-china-8947

[HalloIsBack]

US General: ISIS (Daesh) recruiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - Fri Jan 16 2015, 10:10 am
0 Comments470 viewsEmail Email Print Print
53b53045a4381The commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell has said that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is recruiting militants in Afghanistan.
In an interview with the Army Times, Gen. Campbell said “We are seeing reports of some recruiting. There have been some night letter drops, there have been reports of people trying to recruit both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, quite frankly.”
According to Gen. Campbell, the leaders are concerned about any potential for the ISIS group to spread although the group has ‘hard message to sell’ in Afghanistan.
“The Taliban have their allegiance to (Taliban commander) Mullah Omar and a different philosophy and ideology than ISIS, but, potentially, there are people who are disgruntled with the Taliban, they haven’t seen Mullah Omar in years, or they want to go a different way,” Gen. Campbell said.
He also added “So there are people vulnerable to the Daesh message, and so we’re looking at it very hard.”
This comes as officials in southern Helmand and western Farah provinces of Afghanistan have said the signs of the ISIS presence have been noted in parts of the two provinces.
Officials in Helmand province have said that a former Taliban leader is currently recruiting fighters for ISIS in Sangin district, while officials in Farah said the terror group has set up training bases in Khak-e-Safid district.
However, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials have rejected that ISIS terrorist group is operating in Afghanistan and said there are no signs that the group has infiltrated in the country.
In the meantime, a video was released by ISIS on Saturday purports to show militant leaders who identify themselves as from Afghanistan and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP’s) former spokesman Shahidullah Shahid pledging their support to the Islamic State group.
The video obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group purportedly showing the beheading of a man whom they identify as a Pakistani military soldier.

http://www.khaama.com/us-general-isis-daesh-recruiting-in-afghanistan-and-pakistan-8954/

[HalloIsBack]

Pakistan arrest Afghan Taliban who opposed ISIS
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Jan 17 2015, 12:29 pm
0 Comments0 viewsEmail Email Print Print
paksitani police 9
Killid Radio reports that two Afghan Taliban commanders who had opposed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) or (DAESH) in Logar province have been arrested by Pakistan.
Killid Radio quotes the police chief of Logar province Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai as saying that after the Afghan Taliban commanders opposed DAESH flag in Charkh district they were called to go to Pakistan and put in jail upon their arrival.
Killid Radio further quotes the police chief as saying that these commanders had fought with the supporters of DAESH in their area.
Before Logar, officials in Helmand, Zabul and Farah provinces reported the existence of DAESH supporters in their provinces.

http://www.khaama.com/pakistan-arrest-afghan-taliban-who-oppose-is-28020

[HalloIsBack]

ISIS (Daesh) in Afghanistan: a new nightmare for all Afghans
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Jan 17 2015, 8:35 am
0 Comments563 viewsEmail Email Print Print
ISIS
Author: Qiamuddin Noori
One year ago, when the ISIS ( Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) emerged in parts of Iraq and Syria, not any single Afghan inside or outside Afghanistan would ever thought the cancer would soon effect Afghanistan.
The initial calculation was that ISIS is nothing more than an Iraqi internal problem that should be dealt by the Iraqis themselves.
But, all these imaginations were wrong. Whatsoever the ISIS was an Iraqi problem; it was a regional problem as well; the region in which Afghanistan is on the heart.
The growing influence and bench of sympathies to the powerful, newly-emerged extremist group separated all over the world. From very modernized European countries to some of the poorest parts of the world.
But, as it was getting closer to the boundaries of Afghanistan, the concerns were growing higher and higher.
It was not too late, when media outlets back in Kabul and other provinces said about ISIS flags raised in some parts of Pakistan, the eastern, closest and most engaged neighbor of Afghanistan.
And now, most of the security officials back in Afghanistan confirmed the presence of ISIS in over ten provinces of the country, from southern to northern.
Based on the latest statements of the Afghan security officials, the ISIS fighters along with their famous black flag located themselves in southern Helmand, Oruzgan, Zabul, Ghanzi, western Farah, northern Badakhshan, Kunduz and southeastern Kuner provinces.
The officials confirmed they are busy recruiting fighters, establishing training comps and trying hardly to attract more and more allies and sympathizers on over-mentioned regions of Afghanistan.
Many passengers in central-east Ghazni province complain of fully-covered with black clothing armed with developed weapons searching the cars and passengers.
Most of them according to the passengers are not speaking in none of the common local languages of Afghanistan and it’s believed all of them are foreigners.
The presence of ISIS has been seriously taken serious by Afghan Medias. And the concerns of ordinary Afghans are increasing daily.
The Afghans have already watched the cruelty and brutality of ISIS back in Iraq and Syria throughout social and visionary Medias.
From the brutal and indiscriminate beheading, selling out Christian girls to destroying some of the holy religious of different religious ethnicity.
The Afghan people have the same fear and panic. Would the Iraqi scene may repeat in Afghanistan. Is a religious cleaning of minorities close?
And on the top of that, is the ANSF would be able to protect the people from any potential and possible actions of the ISIS forces in Afghanistan?
The later question would become more and more important equally along the ISIS’s increasing and growing influence.
Taken the issue in to account that the ISIS had tremendous military gains against the Iraqi military, which was once one of the well-trained, highly-mobilized and powerful forces in the whole Middle East.
Afghan security forces with no meaning could be compared to the Iraqi forces. ANSF is just a newly-established force. Without a proper, powerful and resolute air support. They still lack some of the most necessary heavy weapons.
While most of the NATO/ISAF forces have already left the country and left the forces without a powerful supportive combat forces.
With Afghan forces fighting back with Afghan Taliban and other ISI-linked militant groups in various parts of the country, if the ISIS engages with any possible combat with the forces, it would be very tough to reply, whether the forces are able to fight them back or not. As we know so far, the ISIS is one of the fieriest, richest, heavily-armed, and well-trained terrorist groups in the whole region.

http://www.khaama.com/isis-daesh-in-afghanistan-a-new-nightmare-for-all-afghans-9254

[HalloIsBack]

Pakistan arrest Afghan Taliban who opposed ISIS
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Jan 17 2015, 12:29 pm
1 Comment595 viewsEmail Email Print Print
paksitani police 9
Killid Radio reports that two Afghan Taliban commanders who had opposed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) or (DAESH) in Logar province have been arrested by Pakistan.
Killid Radio quotes the police chief of Logar province Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai as saying that after the Afghan Taliban commanders opposed DAESH flag in Charkh district they were called to go to Pakistan and put in jail upon their arrival.
Killid Radio further quotes the police chief as saying that these commanders had fought with the supporters of DAESH in their area.
Before Logar, officials in Helmand, Zabul and Farah provinces reported the existence of DAESH supporters in their provinces.

http://www.khaama.com/pakistan-arrest-afghan-taliban-who-oppose-is-28020

[HalloIsBack]

MoI confirms allegiance of some Taliban militants to ISIS (Daesh)
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sun Jan 18 2015, 10:49 am
0 Comments198 viewsEmail Email 1 mailPrint Print
ISISThe Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirms that a number of the Taliban militants have launched operations under the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in parts of Afghanistan.
MoI spokesman Sediq Sediqi told Radio Free Europe (RFE) on Saturday that the exact number of Taliban militants who have pledged allegiance to ISIS terrorist group is not clear so far.
Sediqi further added it is early to confirm that the militants have direct links with the ISIS group.
He said “Our intelligence information shows that a number of the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants have changed the name of their group and have announced allegiance to ISIS.”
Sediqi said the Afghan national security forces are prepared to fight against the militants and to curb their activities.
The remarks by Sediqi comes as commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell earlier said that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is recruiting militants in Afghanistan.
In an interview with the Army Times, Gen. Campbell said “We are seeing reports of some recruiting. There have been some night letter drops, there have been reports of people trying to recruit both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, quite frankly.”
Officials in Helmand province have also confirmed that a former Taliban leader is currently recruiting fighters for ISIS in Sangin district, while officials in Farah said the terror group has set up training bases in Khak-e-Safid district.
Concerns regarding growing ISIS influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan comes as a video was released by ISIS over a week ago which purports to show militant leaders who identify themselves as from Afghanistan and Pakistan Tpledging their support to the Islamic State group.
The video obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group purportedly showing the beheading of a man whom they identify as a Pakistani military soldier.

http://www.khaama.com/moi-confirms-allegiance-of-some-taliban-militants-to-isis-daesh-9258

[HalloIsBack]

Ghani orders elimination of all groups posing threat to Afghan forces
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sun Jan 18 2015, 8:47 pm
0 Comments187 viewsEmail Email Print Print
Afghan armyPresident Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has ordered to eliminate all individuals and groups posing threat to Afghan National Security Forces.
Deputy defense minister Baz Mohammad Jawhari said the President has made it clear that all those individuals or groups which poses threat or attacks the Afghan forces are the enemies of Afghanistan and therefore they should be eliminated.
Speaking during the completion of security transition of the Afghan national army training facilities, Jawhari said such claims are not correct that the government of Afghanistan is not having a clear policy regarding the enemies and friends of Afghanistan.
Jawhari said Afghan security forces are prepared to counter all terrorist activities which are aimed at targeting the Afghan people and troops.
According to Jawhari the Afghan security forces have foiled major plots by the terrorist groups who were looking to create sanctuaries in the country during the past one week.
The security of Afghanistan is currently fully in the hands of 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police forces as the NATO combat mission ended last year.
NATO launched the alliance’s non-combat mission – Resolute Support mission which consist of more than 12,500 troops and is focused on building Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) sustainability. 28 NATO Allies and 14 partner nations contribute to the mission in different ways.

http://www.khaama.com/ghani-orders-elimination-of-all-groups-posing-threat-to-afghan-forces-8965

[gadoonwal]

The ,,is,,game will also be played on pashtun soil.
Punjab will never allow them to cross into their territory

[HalloIsBack]

Gen. Murad rejects Gen. Dostum’s plan to fight Taliban
By KHAAMA PRESS - Mon Jan 19 2015, 8:36 am
0 Comments439 viewsEmail Email Print Print
Gen. MuradThe commander of Afghan National Army Ground Forces Gen. Murad Ali Murad has rejected the plan by first vice president Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum to fight the Taliban insurgents.
The first vice president had earlier proposed to establish 20,000 militia forces for the repression of the Taliban fighters.
Gen. Dostum had proposed that the militia forces should along side the Afghan National Army forces to fight against the Taliban insurgents.
However, Gen. Murad said Sunday that the establishment of parallel forces and outside the formation of the Afghan National Security forces (ANSF) is not acceptable, the BBC reported.
He said if such plans are implemented then the forces should be established within the frame of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces.
Gen. Murad insisted that the Afghan National Army (ANA) consist of professional units and are capable to respond to all requirements of the country.
In regards to the reports suggesting the growing operations of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operations in the country, Gen. Murad said the Afghan army forces have not encountered with such insurents so far.
However, he warned that the Islamic State is posing more threats to the Central Asia countries.

http://www.khaama.com/gen-murad-rejects-gen-dostums-plan-to-fight-taliban-9262

[HalloIsBack]

ISIS (Daesh) Vs Taliban: A Nightmare For Afghanistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - Tue Jan 20 2015, 1:38 pm
0 Comments0 viewsEmail Email Print Print
ISISBy Dr FloranceEbrahimi
We believe that the Taliban remain the region’s pre-eminent problem, with nearly 20 years of experience in battling Afghan warlords and international troops. But now it seems the Taliban are “not a particularly attractive ideology or military force, and the risk lies in the Taliban looking increasingly out of date and be replaced by more extremist and ferocious option i.e. Islamic State or Daesh. There are reports that the Islamic State terror group is recruiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Islamic State insurgency has begun operating on southern Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand less than few months after British combat troops withdrew from the region. Former Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Rauf was actively recruiting fighters for the groups, flying black flags and, according to some sources, even battling Taliban militants. The Taliban have their allegiance to Mullah Omar and a different philosophy and ideology than ISIS, but, potentially, there are people who are disgruntled with the Taliban, they haven’t seen (Taliban Supreme Leader) Mullah Omar in years, or they want to go a different way.
The Taliban have confined their insurgency to Afghanistan, and do not espouse the pan-Islamic model of jihad embraced by the Islamic State. ISIS controls a third of both Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate governed by a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah. The Taliban, by contrast, are focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and some leaders have responded to past peace overtures. Disenchanted extremists from the Taliban and other groups, impressed by ISIS’s territorial gains and slick online propaganda, have begun raising its black flag. As foreign troops have withdrawn from the country, the Taliban has made new gains in Helmand province, one of their traditional strongholds. But the movement has grown increasingly divided, and its spiritual leader — Mullah Omar hasn’t been seen in public since shortly after the US invasion began in 2001. If the reports about the emergence of the Islamic State are confirmed, the Taliban may now face competition from former members. There are a growing number of splinter groups, and increased reports of infighting, all of which does not bode well for the prospects of a negotiated settlement or for the security of ordinary people. It could be that young Afghans look to the more extreme tactics and the great glitzy publicity of IS. They might find it attractive, or the Taliban might feel the need to compete and therefore become a bit more extreme and start carrying out horrific acts the way you see (ISIS) doing. As a result of this Taliban may act more militantly because of this completion and performance pressure.
The situation creates some complicated dynamics between the Islamist groups. The AP reported that the Taliban has told Afghans in Helmand not to contact Mullah Abdul Rauf chief recruiter for IS or his men. But despite the Taliban call a number of Afghan and Pakistani militants recently announced their devotion to the Islamic State, potentially setting the stage for battles not only between the Islamic State and Afghan troops, but also between the Islamic State and the Taliban. This will escalate the violence in country which will spill over to civil society as well. There are certainly ideological convergences between the two groups, but otherwise there are simply too many factors that constrain the possibility of a partnership, much less a close alliance. First, the Afghan Taliban is chiefly an insurgent group seeking to overthrow the Afghan government. Though it is a brutal extremist organization, it has shown an interest in working from within the existing political system – this is clear from the interest some of its leaders have sometimes expressed in favour of negotiations to end the war. By contrast, “Islamic State” is a savagely violent expansionist organization that aims to establish an Islamic caliphate. This is a very different, more ambitious, and more extreme end goal from that of the Taliban. Second, it is important to keep in mind that the Afghan Taliban has close connections to al Qaeda, the organization that IS split from.
It seems unlikely that the Afghan Taliban would want to join forces with an organization that split from its ally.So bloody clash between Taliban and IS is bound to happen which will further destabilize the region. Islamic State push into the region could bring an infusion of guns and money, sparking brutal competition among local militants disenchanted with Mullah Omar’s silence and eager to prove themselves with escalating atrocities. This will only add to the suffering of the common people as seen in Iraq and Syria. So our Government and policy makers should not only focus their counter insurgency operations against Taliban but they should take this Islamic State threat also more seriously and formulate a clear cut strategy to deal with this menace of IS as well.

http://www.khaama.com/isis-daesh-vs-taliban-a-nightmare-for-afghanistan-9267

[HalloIsBack]

ISIS Looks for Foothold in Central Asia
The terrorist organization seeks to take advantage of a security vacuum in the Fergana Valley.

By Shawn Snow
January 18, 2015
204 84 0 60
348 Shares
58 Comments
A video has recently surfaced in Tajikistan of Tajik ISIS militants calling for jihad against the central government. The video has been condemned by the Islamic Center of Tajikistan (ICT), an organization that works in conjunction with the Tajik government and controls the country’s Imams. The ICT stated ,”How is it possible to wage jihad in a state whose population is 99 percent Muslim? With whom do they want to wage jihad?” The video is part of a series of efforts by ISIS militants to gain a foothold in the Fergana Valley.

The Fergana Valley represents a melting pot of Islamic militant groups, but this was not always the case. Sufism, a more moderate form of Islam, once dominated in the Central Asian region. However, oppressive tactics against Muslim groups by Soviet security forces eventually gave rise to Salafism, a more conservative form of Islam.

The power vacuum created by the collapse of the Soviet Union bolstered the rise of Islamic extremist groups. Aided by the mountainous geographic terrain, a natural buffer against Chinese and Russian influence and control, these semi-autonomous organizations were given the space to grow. Regional governments have had a difficult time reigning them in and maintaining a monopoly of force.

The 1990s saw a number of Islamist groups emerge in the Fergana Valley, including the United Tajik Opposition, led by Emomali Rahkmon (current President of Tajikistan), which fought against the communists during the Tajik civil war; the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan, which is now the only legal Islamist party in Central Asia after previously being banned in 1993; and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a group that is allied with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and that suffered heavy casualties fighting in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion in 2001.

With ISAF and NATO forces withdrawing from Afghanistan, ISIS has been looking to take advantage of the impending power vacuum. In December, 50 young men were arrested in Tajikistan on suspicion of attempting to join fighters in Syria, specifically ISIS. In March, Sabiri’s Jamaat, an Islamist group comprising Tajiks, Uzbeks and Russians in the Caucasus, swore allegiance to ISIS. It is believed that several senior ISIS members are Kazakh, and estimates of Central Asian fighters in Syria range from 500-1000.

In September the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Usmon Ghazi, swore allegiance to reclusive ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. On August 28, just days prior to Uzbekistan’s Independence Day celebrations, the black flag of ISIS was hung from a bridge in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, and that same month al-Baghdadi appointed a Tajik as the commander in Syria’s Raqqa province.

Leaflets have poured into Tajikistan offering Tajik fighters salaries of $5,000 a month, far more than the average salary in Tajikistan.

Porous borders, mountainous terrain, political instability, and economic inequality in Central Asia provides fodder for groups like ISIS looking to build a presence in the region. Central Asian militants fighting in Syria will eventually make their way home. All this should worry policymakers in the region and elsewhere, given Central Asia’s strategic position and abundance of oil.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/isis-looks-for-foothold-in-central-asia/

[Zarim]

Isn't that just great. It's too peaceful in Afghanistan anyway. Time for some new players.