On September 15, 2021, seven Army soldiers and five terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Asman Manza area of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, disclosed that the operation was launched on intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area.
Beijing’s primary focus for now is to ensure stability on its western border and sustain its relationship with the new Taliban government in Kabul.
It has become fashionable to characterize recent events in Afghanistan as a loss for the United States and a win for China. This zero-sum interpretation framed in the narrow context of U.S.-China relations is too simplistic and off the mark. The reality is far more complex and nuanced. The end of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and the collapse of that country’s pro-Western government do not automatically translate into significant Chinese gains, nor do they trigger a swift Beijing swoop to fill the vacuum in Kabul left by Washington.
How the Islamic State affiliate’s recent attacks complicate an already precarious counterterrorism situation in Afghanistan.
Last month’s bombing outside the Kabul airport was a devastating sign of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province’s (IS-K) recent resurgence. The group had already launched 77 attacks in the first four months of 2021 — an increase from 21 in the same period last year. This renewed capacity for mass-casualty attacks could further destabilize Afghanistan’s already precarious security situation, leaving both the new Taliban government and the United States with a vested interest in mounting an effective campaign to undercut IS-K’s presence in the region.
AFGHANISTAN
A series of improvised explosive attacks and shootings targeted Taliban security forces and vehicles in Nangarhar, Baghlan and Kunduz provinces as well as the capital Kabul in the past week. Crisis Group expert Ibraheem Bahiss says having already claimed multiple attacks, it appears likely that the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate (ISKP) is primarily responsible for the wave of violence. Taliban forces are stepping up their crackdown on suspected ISKP-linked individuals and have closed several Salafi madrassas. There is a real risk that the string of attacks could morph into a more widespread and potent ISKP insurgency challenging Taliban rule.
To understand the interesting relationship between the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistani Taliban, and the Afghan Taliban, one must peep into history to see how the linkages developed and why the Afghan Taliban are not responding in equal measure to Pakistan’s repeated appeals to take conclusive action against the TTP.
Fondatorul primei universităţi private din Afganistan, Zaker Hussain Ershad, a fost unul dintre cei 139 de cetăţeni afgani evacuaţi cu ajutorul autorităţilor române. Ershad e acum într-un centru de refugiaţi din Galați, România, şi spune că, în curând, speră să predea la Facultatea de Ştiinţe Politice, Universitatea din Bucureşti.
In a statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban jihadi organization which seized power on August 15, 2021) has condemned remarks by American officials that some ministers appointed by the Taliban are on the U.S. blacklist of terrorists and still targets for United States counterterrorism forces.
In an interview with Russian news agency Tass, former Afghan vice president Karim Khalili warned the Afghan Taliban that Shi’ite Muslims may join hands with other ethnic groups in Afghanistan to form a national resistance against the Taliban. Karim Khalili’s name has figured into the list of Afghan leaders likely to join the anti-Taliban resistance front led by Ahmed Massoud.[1] Other opposition names include: Amrullah Saleh, Salahuddin Rabbani, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Ata Mohammed Noor, Ismail Khan, and Hazrat Ali.
As resistance forces continue to battle the Taliban on Afghanistan’s last war front, residents who fled the province say there is no clear winner yet.
Since the Taliban claimed “complete control” over the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan’s northeast earlier this month, the group has been accused of “widespread atrocities”, forcing many Afghans to flee the province – the last remaining enclave of resistance against the group’s rule.
The Haqqani network derives its name from Jalaluddin Haqqani, who first fought against the Soviet army in Afghanistan, and later against the United States (US) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces. Following the death of Jalaluddin, the leadership of the group was assumed by his son, Sirajuddin, who is set to head the Interior Ministry, perhaps the most important ministerial position in the newly announced Afghan cabinet. India’s diplomatic presence in Afghan cities, whenever it is restored, will be under the direct watch of the Sirajuddin-led ministry. Obviously, this is far from comfortable for New Delhi.