Islamic State-Khorasan’s terror threat to Afghan evacuations worries Biden

As the United States struggles to evacuate its citizens from Afghanistan before 31 August, a new threat in the form of the Islamic State of the Khorasan (ISIS-K or ISKP) — a local Daesh affiliate — is on the horizon.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan had warned about a potential terrorist attack in Afghanistan by the ISIS-K. “One of the contingencies we are very focused on, laser focused on, is the potential for a terrorist attack by a group like ISIS-K, which of course is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, so we will keep working to minimise the risks and maximise the number of people on planes,” Sullivan was quoted as saying. “We are working hard with our intelligence community to try to isolate and determine where an attack might come from.”

Who exactly is the ISIS-K?

The Islamic State-Khorasan Province is a relatively new group compared to the Taliban. It was formed back in 2015 when the extremist group ISIS sought to extend its geographical reach beyond Iraq and Syria.

The ISIS-K was established in the Nangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan in January 2015, actively recruiting defectors from the Taliban, in particular those who were discontented with their own leadership’s lack of success on the battlefield.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the group has been responsible for nearly 100 attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as roughly 250 clashes with the US, Afghan, and Pakistani security forces since January 2017.

The ISKP was “nearly eradicated” from its main base in eastern Afghanistan in late 2019 by the US and Afghan military and also by the Taliban.

Taliban vs ISKP

The Taliban and ISKP are known to be sworn enemies of each other and have been fighting one another over territory.

The two saw bloody battles in 2017 when ISKP captured three drug dealers selling opium to raise funds for the Taliban. The conflict ended in a significant defeat for the ISKP and the subsequent offensives by the Afghan and US military pushed them back even further.

Further, the leaders of the Islamic State in Afghanistan have denounced the Taliban takeover of the country, criticising their version Islamic rule as insufficiently hard-line.

However, the Taliban has said that they will now allow the ISKP to become active in Afghanistan. “We assure you that we will not let ISIS to become active in the country, in the areas under our control. As for the presence of terrorists from other countries, I completely deny this. There are no terrorists from Central Asia or China in the country. We assure you that we… will prevent them from entering the country,” Sputnik quoted Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid as saying.

Additionally, ties became worse when the Taliban claimed to have removed the former head of the Islamic State in South Asia, Abu Omar Khorasani, from an Afghan prison before executing him “on the spot”, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Possible threats

US president Joe Biden has said the security situation in Afghanistan was fluid and that the administration was trying to evacuate all of its nationals as fast as possible owing to the threats from the Islamic State militants.

The Islamic State group has long desired to attack America and many experts believe that the withdrawal of US troops and the ensuing chaos surrounding evacuations provide them with the perfect opportunity to strike.

Of particular concern for the military planners is the group’s focus on launching attacks in Kabul. It mounted six major attacks in the Afghan capital in 2016, 18 attacks in 2017 and 24 in 2018.

In fact, amid the chaotic scenes in Kabul as people fled for the airports was the alarming sight of around 5,000 escaped prisoners, including many alleged ISKP fighters, walking free from the Pul-e-Chakri prison on Bagram airbase.

Prisoners leaving Kabul jail after being broken out by Taliban. pic.twitter.com/B84F2UrtEA

— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 15, 2021

The fear is that the ISKP might target the crowds and also the US troops, who are on ground in Afghanistan, evacuating civilians.

In light of this major threat, the US is maintaining constant vigilance and scrambling to evacuate American and its Afghan partners as swiftly as possible. The Pentagon has ordered commercial airlines to support the evacuations. The US forces have also expanded their perimeter around Kabul.

On Saturday, US officials also said that alternative routes to Kabul airport were being established in order to protect Afghan civilians and US personnel from the threat posed by ISKP.

With inputs from agencies