ISLAMABAD: The Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K), which has claimed responsibility for recent bombings in Kabul, has been locked in bloody battles with the Taliban for some time in areas in Afghanistan that border Pakistan.
What is IS-K?
The terror organisation had originally emerged in Pakistan in 2015 as a group of young fighters belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several militant groups. The military offensives against the TTP in Pakistan’s northwest had forced them to cross into Afghanistan, where they had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and its then chief, Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, in 2014. Since then, the group had absorbed terrorists into their network and had announced expansion into Central Asia as IS-K. When the IS was at its height in Iraq and Syria, it was reportedly providing funds to its regional affiliate in Afghanistan. That support had dried up much earlier but the IS leadership in Syria and Iraq remains in contact with the IS-K.
The name Khorasan translates to “The Land of the Sun.” Khorasan refers to a historical region that includes parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, NYT reports.
Prior to Thursday’s explosions, there were reports that the Taliban had intercepted and gunned down several IS-K fighters at their checkpoints around Kabul airport. Hours later, at least 28 Taliban fighters were among more than 100 people injured in the blasts outside Kabul airport.
How are IS-K and the Taliban different?
The two militant groups are separated by ideological differences. The IS-K, considered to be the most extreme and violent of all the jihadist militant groups in Afghanistan, follows the Salafist movement of Islam, while the Taliban adhere to the Deobandi school of thought. The Taliban, at least for now, want to establish an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan. The IS-K, however, is striving to establish a caliphate in South and Central Asia and then to take their holy war (jihad) against non-Muslims and their Muslim supporters to other parts of the world.
Who are the IS-K’s enemies?
The IS-K claims that the Taliban had betrayed the cause of jihad by entering into a peace agreement with the US and vows to continue their fight against them in Afghanistan.
ISIS-K openly fought with other extremist Islamic organisations, like the Taliban. ISIS-K has been antagonistic mostly toward the Taliban, and the two groups have fought for turf, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, NYT reports. Since 2017, experts say, ISIS-K has been responsible for roughly 250 clashes with US, Afghan and Pakistani security forces. More recently, ISIS-K leaders have denounced the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, saying that the group’s version of Islamic rule was insufficiently hard line.
How many men does IS-K have?
There are different claims on the number of IS-K fighters in Afghanistan. Earlier, it was claimed that the group had less than 2,000 fighters in the country. Later, when the Taliban had started negotiations with the US in Doha, many hardcore Taliban and TTP fighters had joined its ranks.
In 2016, a year after it was founded, ISIS-K was at its peak size, with about 3,000 to 4,000 fighters, according to analyst estimates. That figure was cut in half after the group was targeted by American airstrikes and Afghan commando raids, according to the NYT.
The IS-K’s first fight against the Taliban had occurred in 2017, when they drove the Taliban out of Tora Bora, a mountainous region where Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden had taken refuge to escape American airstrikes following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US. The area, however, was soon recaptured by the Taliban, but the two sides have been bitter enemies since then.
In May this year, Taliban militants had joined US and Afghan government forces in driving the IS-K out of parts of northeastern Afghanistan.
What has IS-K been doing?
Of late, the group has been busy on the terror front and has carried out dozens of deadly attacks in Afghanistan in recent years. In May the group had accepted responsibility for an attack on a Kabul school attended primarily by Shia girls that left 85 people dead and more than 300 injured. In June, IS-K militants had ambushed and killed 10 people working with an anti-landmine NGO in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan. Last year, IS fighters had gunned down a number of pregnant women, nurses and babies at a maternity hospital in Kabul.
(With inputs from NYT)
What is IS-K?
The terror organisation had originally emerged in Pakistan in 2015 as a group of young fighters belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several militant groups. The military offensives against the TTP in Pakistan’s northwest had forced them to cross into Afghanistan, where they had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and its then chief, Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, in 2014. Since then, the group had absorbed terrorists into their network and had announced expansion into Central Asia as IS-K. When the IS was at its height in Iraq and Syria, it was reportedly providing funds to its regional affiliate in Afghanistan. That support had dried up much earlier but the IS leadership in Syria and Iraq remains in contact with the IS-K.
The name Khorasan translates to “The Land of the Sun.” Khorasan refers to a historical region that includes parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, NYT reports.
Prior to Thursday’s explosions, there were reports that the Taliban had intercepted and gunned down several IS-K fighters at their checkpoints around Kabul airport. Hours later, at least 28 Taliban fighters were among more than 100 people injured in the blasts outside Kabul airport.
How are IS-K and the Taliban different?
The two militant groups are separated by ideological differences. The IS-K, considered to be the most extreme and violent of all the jihadist militant groups in Afghanistan, follows the Salafist movement of Islam, while the Taliban adhere to the Deobandi school of thought. The Taliban, at least for now, want to establish an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan. The IS-K, however, is striving to establish a caliphate in South and Central Asia and then to take their holy war (jihad) against non-Muslims and their Muslim supporters to other parts of the world.
Who are the IS-K’s enemies?
The IS-K claims that the Taliban had betrayed the cause of jihad by entering into a peace agreement with the US and vows to continue their fight against them in Afghanistan.
ISIS-K openly fought with other extremist Islamic organisations, like the Taliban. ISIS-K has been antagonistic mostly toward the Taliban, and the two groups have fought for turf, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, NYT reports. Since 2017, experts say, ISIS-K has been responsible for roughly 250 clashes with US, Afghan and Pakistani security forces. More recently, ISIS-K leaders have denounced the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, saying that the group’s version of Islamic rule was insufficiently hard line.
How many men does IS-K have?
There are different claims on the number of IS-K fighters in Afghanistan. Earlier, it was claimed that the group had less than 2,000 fighters in the country. Later, when the Taliban had started negotiations with the US in Doha, many hardcore Taliban and TTP fighters had joined its ranks.
In 2016, a year after it was founded, ISIS-K was at its peak size, with about 3,000 to 4,000 fighters, according to analyst estimates. That figure was cut in half after the group was targeted by American airstrikes and Afghan commando raids, according to the NYT.
The IS-K’s first fight against the Taliban had occurred in 2017, when they drove the Taliban out of Tora Bora, a mountainous region where Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden had taken refuge to escape American airstrikes following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US. The area, however, was soon recaptured by the Taliban, but the two sides have been bitter enemies since then.
In May this year, Taliban militants had joined US and Afghan government forces in driving the IS-K out of parts of northeastern Afghanistan.
What has IS-K been doing?
Of late, the group has been busy on the terror front and has carried out dozens of deadly attacks in Afghanistan in recent years. In May the group had accepted responsibility for an attack on a Kabul school attended primarily by Shia girls that left 85 people dead and more than 300 injured. In June, IS-K militants had ambushed and killed 10 people working with an anti-landmine NGO in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan. Last year, IS fighters had gunned down a number of pregnant women, nurses and babies at a maternity hospital in Kabul.
(With inputs from NYT)
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