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A string of explosions struck Taliban vehicles in Afghanistan’s provincial city of Jalalabad over the weekend, killing eight people, among them Taliban fighters.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Taliban are under pressure to contain ISIS militants, in part to make good on a promise to the international community that they will prevent the staging of terror attacks from Afghan soil.
There is also a widely held expectation among conflict-weary Afghans that the new rulers will at least restore a measure of public safety.
“We thought that since the Taliban have come, peace will come,” said Feda Mohammad, a brother of an 18-year-old rickshaw driver who was killed in one of September 19th’s blasts, along with a 10-year-old cousin.
“But there’s no peace, no security. You can’t hear anything except the news of bomb blasts killing this one or that,” Mohammad said.
The weekend bomb blasts served as a reminder of the threat the militants pose.
On September 21st, the Taliban said that there was no evidence of Islamic State or al Qaeda militants being in the country, despite the attacks.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected accusations that al-Qaeda maintained a presence in Afghanistan and repeated pledges that there would be no attacks on third countries from Afghanistan from militant movements.
“We do not see anyone in Afghanistan who has anything to do with al Qaeda,” he told a news conference in Kabul. “We are committed to the fact that, from Afghanistan, there will not be any danger to any country.”
On August 26th, as American and foreign troops completed their withdrawal and frantic airlift from the country, ISIS suicide bombers targeted U.S. evacuation efforts outside Kabul international airport in one of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan in years. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.
The events have bolstered fears of more violence, as ISIS militants exploit the vulnerability of an overstretched Taliban government facing massive security challenges and an economic meltdown.
“They’re making a very dramatic comeback,” Ibraheem Bahiss, an International Crisis Group consultant and an independent research analyst said of Islamic State. “There could be a long-term struggle between the groups.”
Despite the significant Kabul Airport attack, Mujahid denied the movement had any genuine presence in Afghanistan though he said it “invisibly carries out some cowardly attacks”.
“The ISIS that exists in Iraq and Syria does not exist here. Still, some people who may be our own Afghans have adopted the ISIS mentality, which is a phenomenon that the people do not support,” he said.
“The security forces of the Islamic Emirate are ready and will stop them,” he said.
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Terrorist against terrorist 😄
The Taliban are Afghan citizens who fought and won against the US/UK/NATO terrorists occupying their country. Perhaps a little education would stop you repeating the inane propaganda of these western scum….how many people have they butchered in the ME in their attempt to steal every available resource ?
Morron, these isis are american foot soldiers, while the taliban( means student) are the people of afghanistan.
Your just another white trash peice of crap, ive seen hundreds like you here.
Deobandi people of Afghanistan. Ok. ISIS were also the people of Iraq but very radical people right?
En effet, les USA sont partis. Mais en laissant leurs petits terroristes chéris soutenus également par UK. Las de jouer les sauveurs contre les talibans qu’ils ont eux mêmes créés dans les années 70, il espèrent maintenir une situation de chaos sans fin avec ISIS et HTS, leurs dernières petites créations. L’idée est d’empêcher toute stabilité afin d’empêcher ce pays de prospérer et de permettre à la Russie et à la Chine d’y prendre pied. Les USA sont dirigés pas une mafia s’assassins Judeo-Khazars à l’oeuvre depuis le massacre des Indiens d’Amériques. Une vraie bande de pauvres types.
‘ISIS’ in SDF captivity in east Syria keep getting released and moved around by US forces. One obvious destination is US base at al-Tanf where they are freshly re-stamped as ‘US sponsored rebels’. Where else might CIA Blackhawks fly them in local region, off to Central Asia to cause chaos against Taliban in Afghanistan? Fits the US’ (read Abraham Elliot’s) violence-based, divide and conquer, foreign policy strategy perfectly
Taliban and HTS are the same.
Not at all, your an ignorant twat.
Taliban won against nato, HTS cant fight their way out of a paper bag, keep getting rescued by turkey.
Jihadists from HTS, jihadists from Nusra of Mali and jihadis of Al Shabaab are praising the Taliban. Hamas does the same. Read the news and stop provoking people.
Blackwater is busy again spoiling the fun. Solution – Close all western embassies. Only allow Russian, Chinese, Iranian and Pakis to have diplomatic missions, then rout these terrorists.
Never count Russians on you dirty Muslims, Russian money from the oligarchs finances London, Russian gas powers Europe…they are Europeans. They are dividing the spoils of war with Americans. Btw, your friends the Chinese say Islam is a fraud and they are re educating urgus
Lol, so head choppers became the government and now new kid ISIS-K becomes the new rebel force fighting old terrorist, how ironic it is, and fuck that shit that the Taliban fought against the nato bullshit people keep repeating here they are as bad as them with killing the afghan civilans, so fuck nato and fuck the talib bitches and also FUCK DAESH.