Taliban Kill Daesh Commanders: The Taliban in Afghanistan claimed on Monday that two important Islamic State commanders were killed by their security forces during an overnight counterterrorism operation on their hideout in Kabul, the country’s capital.
A few hours prior to the statement, the United States released a new study claiming that up to 3,000 IS fighters may be operating in the country of South Asia and engaging in terrorist actions.
The “intelligence and operations chief of Daesh” in Afghanistan was also among those slain in the raid late Sunday, according to a late-night statement from Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. He named Qari Fateh as the terrorist leader who had been killed.
Daesh, also known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), is a major foe of the Taliban and an affiliate of Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Mujahid claimed that Fateh was responsible for recent attacks in Kabul against mosques, embassies, and other sites.
He said, using the official term for the Taliban administration, “The criminal was served justice last night for his savage deeds at the hands of IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] special forces during a difficult operation in the Kher Khana residential neighbourhood [in Kabul].
Regarding the Taliban’s allegations that its top leader was killed, IS-K did not immediately respond.
In his statement on Monday, Mujahid also confirmed that Ijaz Amin Ahangar, the IS-K chief for the Indian subcontinent, and his two commanders had been slain earlier this month during a Taliban counterterrorism operation. He said, without going into further detail, that “a number of Daesh members, including foreigners,” had also been taken into custody recently.
Ahangar, also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri, was killed on February 14 in a confrontation with the Taliban, according to a statement released last week by IS-K, which did not specify the precise location.
US concerns about Taliban’s counterterrorism operations and ISIS-K’s activities in Afghanistan
Since retaking control of Kabul in August 2021 when foreign soldiers under U.S. leadership withdrew from the nation, the Taliban have periodically conducted attacks against IS-K.
The terrorist organisation, on the other hand, frequently launches high-profile attacks on local residents, Taliban members, and foreign diplomatic posts.
The United States still has doubts about the Taliban’s counterterrorism operations and labels IS-K as a “dangerous” affiliate of Islamic State.
The United States State Department released its 2021 nation reports on terrorism on Monday, noting that Afghanistan was one of the countries where IS and other terrorist organisations with a regional focus maintained “an active presence” and committed terrorist acts.
According to the report, ISIS-K “remained a resilient enemy with around 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in the country, although accurate estimates are difficult to determine.” The extent of the Taliban’s ability and willingness to stop AQ [al-Qaida] and ISIS-K from mounting external operations remained unclear, it said. “Although the Taliban committed to preventing terrorist groups from using Afghanistan to stage attacks against the United States or others, the extent of its ability and willingness to do so remained unclear,” it added.
The international community has urged the Taliban to respect human rights, end restrictions on women’s access to education and employment, sever ties with terrorist organisations, and lead Afghanistan through a politically inclusive government, but they have not yet been acknowledged as the country’s legitimate rulers.
The Taliban defend their system of government by claiming that it adheres to both local customs and Islamic law. They have also dismissed the reported presence of thousands of IS-K fighters in Afghanistan as baseless.
