A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) report addresses the growth of ISIS in Afghanistan as a challenge to the extremist Taliban, specifically as the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (IS-KP).” R.E.A.L. has previously reported ISIS terrorist atrocities in Afghanistan. This is in the so-called “Khorasan Province,” which is actually the eastern Afghanistan province of Nangarhar on the border of Pakistan, with the capital of Jalalabad.
Nangarhar Province, with a capital of Jalalabad, on the eastern border of Afghanistan with Pakistan
The report states: “The presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – Khorasan Province (IS-KP) primarily in the eastern province of Nangarhar remains a concern for the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the international community. Through attacks against a United Nations (UN) vehicle and the ANDSF in September 2015, IS-KP has demonstrated that it is operationally emergent. ”
“The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province has progressed from its initial exploratory phase to a point where they are openly fighting the Taliban for the establishment of a safe haven, and are becoming more operationally active. IS-KP has successfully seized pockets of terrain from the Taliban in Nangarhar Province. The group claimed an improvised explosive device (IED) attack against a UN vehicle in September 2015 and conducted its first attack against the ANDSF later that month when it attacked as many as 10 checkpoints in the same day in Achin district, Nangarhar. The group continues to recruit disaffected Taliban and formerly Taliban-aligned fighters, most notably the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which publically declared allegiance to IS-KP in August 2015. IS-KP has not yet conducted an attack against RS forces, although the group’s recruitment of experienced fighters and commanders could increase its capability to do so over at least the next year. ”
“U.S. and RS leaders will continue to monitor the potential threat of an established ISIL presence in Afghanistan. The Afghan government is particularly concerned about the rise of IS-KP, which they see as a serious looming threat in the region as part of what President Ghani has referred to as the ‘ecology of terror.’ IS-KP represents an emergent competitor to other violent extremist groups that have traditionally operated in Afghanistan; this may result in increased violence among the various extremist groups in 2016. ”