In Afghanistan, peace has not yet arrived.
On October 8, a Shiite mosque in The northern province of Kunduz in Northern Afghanistan exploded violently, and the scene was full of blood and flesh. At least 100 people have been killed and more than 200 injured.
After the incident, an organization came out and declared responsibility for the terrorist attack, the international extremist group that everyone is familiar with, the "Islamic State Khorasan Province" (hereinafter referred to as IS-K).
As early as the evening of August 26, when the US troops in Afghanistan were running wildly, a serious terrorist attack occurred at Kabul Airport, killing 13 US troops and 140 Afghan armed personnel and civilians, including more than 20 Atta armed personnel.
At that time, it was IS-K who came out to "claim".
Since the beginning of September, IS-K has launched several attacks against the Atta armed forces, killing dozens of atta armed men.
In other words, Atta itself is not an Islamic fundamentalist, the extremist organization does not say close, how can there be some sympathy in faith, how to fight with it so deadly?
Needless to say, Atta and IS-K really have a vendetta, and this vendetta is not small.
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It goes back to 2014, when the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Greater Levant (ISIS) rose up in Iraq and Syria and soon occupied large swaths of territory in both countries, with its leader, Baghdadi, declaring himself caliphate in June of the same year in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.
From the beginning, IS's ambitions were not limited to Iraq and Syria, but to expand globally to establish a theocratic caliphate without a particularly clear geographical identity.
That is to say, the concept of IS is supra-sovereign and supranational, and there is no concept of the motherland and the people.
According to IS's established plan, Afghanistan, as the central ring of its global expansion "three-ring strategy", is a strategic point that must be included in the "territory".
According to the intelligence services of the former Afghan government, IS had already sent personnel to Afghanistan for infiltration and recruitment activities as early as June 2014, when it declared "nationhood".
Nor have the Taliban escaped is the infiltration of IS.
On July 1, 2014, former Atta commander Dowst pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and recruited fighters for IS in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nurstan and other provinces.
In August, the Shikmathiar faction of the Wahhabiist Party (PAS) in Afghanistan announced that it was considering joining the Islamic State, and many members of the party hooked up with IS and distributed a pamphlet called Fata (Victory) in Peshawar on the Afghan border to promote IS.
Is's thought offensive really worked. On October 2 of the same year, dozens of university students from Kabul University put up the banner of "opposing democracy, establishing a true caliphate, and realizing pure Sharia law" on campus, and openly displayed THE IS and Atta flags, claiming that they were just representatives, and many teachers and students on campus had long been tired of Western-style democracy.
(IS-K student members once wrote a sign on the wall of kabul university campus with the slogan "Long live the Islamic State".)
At the same time, in the Pakistani Taliban (hereinafter referred to as "Bata"), several former commanders directly came forward to declare their loyalty to the so-called Baghdadi "caliphate".
Islamic extremist groups operating in the Arab-Palestinian border areas, such as the Unity Brigade, the Jihadist Caliphate Army, the Allah Brigade, etc., as well as some local commanders and militants in Atta, have also claimed to be allied with IS.
In this "good situation", former Bata commander Hafez Sayyid Khan led a number of former Bata commanders to publicly swear allegiance to IS on January 12, 2015, and announced the establishment of the "Khorasan Province" ruled by IS.
By the 26th, the IS headquarters in Isu officially announced the establishment of the "Khorasan Province" (IS-K) and appointed Said as the "governor" and abdul Raough, the commander who betrayed Ata, as the "vice governor". This marks the official establishment of a branch of the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
The name "Khorasan Province" derives from the Khorasan province established in The Seventh Century AD, when the Arab Empire was at its most powerful in martial arts. There is clearly a huge ambition in it, and IS is even more inflated than its ancestors, not only delusional that its jurisdiction will include all of Afghanistan and all of Central Asia, but even Xinjiang, China, which is undoubtedly a blatant declaration of war against the Chinese government and people, and this IS-K, like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, is our absolute sworn enemy.
Through this phase of tentative infiltration in Afghanistan, IS-K successfully incited a group of extremist Afghans to join.
Intelligence in the Republican Government of Afghanistan, then in power in Kabul, estimated that by late September 2014, 3,000 Afghan citizens had traveled to Syria to participate in jihad.
With such a "successful experience", IS-K is playing bigger and bigger.
Since January 2015, the IS-K forces have directly begun to expand by force in an all-round way, successively establishing strongholds in Helmand, Farah, Lugar, Chabul and Nangarhar in Afghanistan.
Compared with organizations such as Atta, which recruited troops on the mainland, the way for the "Islamic State" as an outsider to expand its military supply is two words - "throw money"!
The average Atta fighter is often paid the equivalent of tens of dollars a month, while the Islamic State was able to pay hundreds of dollars or even thousands of dollars a month as early as 2015-2016. Under the heavy reward, it is not uncommon to dig the wall directly from Atta, and use these "insiders" to attack some of Atta's camps, prisons, etc.
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As IS-K's expansion in Afghanistan became increasingly unabashed, and the Afghan Taliban became less tolerant of their anti-guest arrogance, the gap and hatred between the two sides began to increase.
Initially, though, Atta tried to negotiate contacts with the IS side.
In May 2015, Atta appointed Governor of Nangarhar Province, Hashmi, negotiated with IS-K's "governor", Sayyid Khan, hoping that they would leave Afghanistan and that Ata would lead the entire country's war.
Sayyid, in turn, demanded that Atta be dissolved and allegiance to the Islamic State.
Can this still be negotiated? But at that time, Atta did not give up.
In June 2015, Aktar Mansour, the de facto controller of Atta, issued an open letter warning Islamic State leader Baghdadi that the war against the United States and its allies should be waged "under the same banner and under the same leadership," warning IS not to invade Afghanistan, and saying that If the other side does not heed dissuade, Atta will make a "response."
As a result, a week later, IS responded strongly: Atta is a puppet under the control of Pakistan's ISI, only recognizes "narrow Pashtun nationalism", completely disregards the cause of "global jihad", "too small" to achieve things, is a stupid warlord. At the same time, IS demanded that Atta must repent to Allah and fully submit to IS-K, otherwise he will face the wrath of is.
At this point, the two sides completely tore their faces, and the armed conflict continued, and Atta sent a newly formed elite force to strike at IS-K.
In May and July 2015, Atta destroyed is the training camps set up by IS-K in Farah and the mobile base established in Lugel.
In September, Atta destroyed the Islamic State stronghold in Helmand and drove its forces out of the province; by November, the IS-K forces in Chabul had been routed by Atta, leaving only a small number of remnants of militants fleeing to Nangarhar.
As of June 2017, IS-K and Atta had nearly 20 armed clashes, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
The scene is so magical that Atta, who once desperately sheltered the al-Qaida terrorist group, has been the main force in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan since 2015.
But Atta was unable to halt IS-K's expansion in Nangarhar. With the convenience of being located on the Kabul-Peshawar strategic supply line and adjacent to the tribal areas of Pakistan, IS-K elements have entrenched the province and established command centers in the mamande valley, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack.
There, it has also continuously recruited Bata, Ata, Ui-Imu (including some "East Turkestan Islamic Movement") and some pro-Government local militants, and has successfully co-opted the "Islamic Army" in the Abba-Pakistani border area, and its ranks have continued to grow and its combat effectiveness has been greatly improved.
By the end of June 2015, IS-K had essentially controlled most of the eight districts in the southeast of the province, reaching its peak, and further expanding to the north and west with Nangarhar as its base. It appointed "shadow governors" in the eastern provinces of Kunal, Ragman and Lugel to "govern" the region; established training bases in Lugar; and appointed special recruiters in nine provinces, including Kunduz, Samangan, Faryab and Salpule. During this period, IS-K had the widest penetration in Afghanistan, with recruitment activities in 25 provinces in the east, north, center and west.
For Atta, who attacked him the hardest, IS-K also took extremely bloody means to "revenge".
In August 2015, IS-K attacked a pro-Taliban village, not only capturing and beheading 12 Atta members of the village, but also killing 11 tribal elders blindfolded and dying with explosives in a clearing.
In addition, IS-K confiscated all the villagers' property as a reward for their subordinates, and also captured 80 men and forced local women to marry IS-K members. This horrific scene became the "brand image" of IS-K, and the enmity between the two sides increased day by day, almost to the point of endless death.
On December 26, 2015, the two sides exchanged fire in the Achin area, an important town in eastern Afghanistan, and each member was captured.
IS-K did not negotiate with Atta and directly beheaded the 4 captured Atta armed men in public. Of course, Atta was not polite, and immediately beheaded the 4 CAPTURed IS-K members and placed their heads on a stone pile on the side of the road for public display.
What needs to be explained is that in fact, Atta is really okay with the "Muslim brothers", there are many foreign armed groups in Afghanistan, and Atta's attitude towards them is generally friendly, refusing to hand over bin Laden to offend the United States, and being entangled in the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement".
Only this "Islamic State", Atta and it can not pee in a pot.
Because this "Islamic State" is basically an "orphan legion", the six relatives do not recognize it, and befriend it, not only Atta can not do it, normal humans, can not do it.
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Specifically, let's talk about the fundamental differences between Atta and IS-K.
In fact, seeing that both are extreme and thinking that they think the same thing is too unsavory.
The ideology of the Afghan Taliban has absorbed more of the tribal laws of the Pashtuns, the main ethnic group of the Atta, and on this basis, it has given the Quran and the Sunnah a greater status, reformed Islamic education and Sharia law, opposed the modern party system, parliamentary democracy and constitutional system, and promoted the Return of Islamic Society in Afghanistan to the "way of Allah" and finally the establishment of a true "Islamic Emirate".
Therefore, since the beginning of its establishment, Atta has set her sights on the country and has no intention of interfering in foreign affairs. The same is said about "jihad", but Atta, which is limited to the establishment of an Islamic fundamentalist regime in Afghanistan through war, is completely different from the so-called "pan-Islamism".
Now that the foreign invaders have been driven out and the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" has been established, Atta has fulfilled his greatest political aspirations.
IS-K, for its part, was heavily influenced by Wahhabi-Salafism, or more precisely, a faithful practitioner of the idea of "jihadist" Salafism, recognizing only "doctrine" and advocating the establishment of Shariah-based, theocratic Islamic regimes, the so-called "caliphates", through the violent means of "jihad" on a global scale.
For IS-K, I am just a step in IS's "global caliphate", what "Afghan state", that is the obstacle of my "great empire"!
Therefore, the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" established by Atta is a stumbling block for IS-K, and the realization of your ideal is equivalent to the disillusionment of my ideal, which is naturally irreconcilable. But then again, what country would accept such an unscrupulous violation of national sovereignty by IS?!
At the same time, IS-K insists that those who disagree with it are apostates and should be eliminated. Yes, ata, which we think is extreme, IS-K also accuses them of not strictly adhering to the rules of Islam.
In this context, although IS-K is in Afghanistan, it is a grass for the lives of the Afghan people, not only the personnel they recruit from the local area have to kill with their compatriots, but even directly use terrorist attacks against ordinary Afghan people as an important means to enhance the visibility of the organization.
According to incomplete statistics, from its establishment in 2015 to the beginning of September 2021, the total number of terrorist attacks launched by IS-K and publicly declared responsible after the fact reached 124, with more than 6,600 cumulative casualties and at least 2,000 people lost their lives in these attacks. Hospitals, schools and mosques, adults and poor women and children, are targeted by the group.
Especially in 2021, with the announcement of the withdrawal of the United States, IS-K took advantage of the situation and increased the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks. From May to August alone, the group launched at least 17 terrorist attacks that killed at least 250 people. In addition to the suicide bombings at Kabul airports, the group's May 8 car bomb attack on the entrance to The Sayed Shuhada High School in Kabul killed 90 students, most of them Hazara girls.
(After the campus attack on May 8, the families of the dead students went to the hospital to claim the remains.)
The crows are not saying that Atta's military operations have not caused civilian casualties, but this is after all Atta's own country, and if it is smashed, they will bear the consequences themselves, and as they are about to return to power, there is no benefit to sabotage, and it is in their interest to protect the Afghan people as much as possible and strive to build this country. So in general, especially after the resumption of peace talks in 2018, Atta has generally practiced the principle of "not taking ordinary people as combat targets".
How could IS-K, who regarded the life and death of Afghans as a child's play, not attract Atta's hatred?
The Islamic State's insistence on "being an enemy of the world" has sealed Atta's last hope of reconciliation with it. Atta is now forging ties around the world, actively seeking recognition from the international level and even more support in the future. You ARE-K are good, even the "Muslim brothers" have laid down their hands, refusing to engage in any dialogue and negotiation with the international community, and all international treaties, rules and unwritten provisions have become invalid, never committing themselves to good relations with any country, and seeing that everyone has a vendetta. Cooperate with such a master, is that not to die in Afghanistan? ......
Compared with the fragile former government forces and the equally fragile Panjhir anti-Tajib forces, this dehumanized IS-K is the most serious challenge facing Atta.
It is obvious that Atta, which has transformed from an extremist force in Afghanistan into a ruling force, is bound to intensify the crackdown on IS-K out of historical grievances and the dual considerations of maintaining domestic security and stability, in an attempt to weaken and eradicate as much as possible the adverse impact of the organization on the stability of the Afghan state and the safety of people's lives.
Whether it is the execution of the former leader of IS-K on August 17, Abu Omar Horazani, or the military operation launched in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces in early October against the islamic State's Khorasan provinces, this demonstrates Atta's determination and ability to fight the organization.
Interestingly, the Afghan Taliban, which is now more sleek, will openly ask the United States for "economic assistance."
But on the issue of "counter-terrorism", even if the Prime Minister of "ally" Pakistan, Imran Khan, said bitterly that "if the United States does not provide corresponding assistance to Afghanistan, Afghanistan is likely to become a refuge for the Islamic State, a situation that all parties do not want to see", Atta still resolutely "turned the Americans away".
Atta spokesman Suhair Shaheen said in an interview with The Associated Press on October 9 local time that he would not cooperate with the United States in the fight against the extremist group IS-K, "We can deal with the Islamic State independently." ”
(Associated Press reports: The Taliban say they will not cooperate with the United States to contain the Islamic State)
Maybe they also realized that their strength was not strong enough to barely fight IS-K; if they added the Americans, they really could never win.
Resources:
Chang Hong: The Infiltration of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Its Prospects
"The Islamic State's Inheritance of Jihad Salafist Thought and the "Islamic Stateization""
Zhu Yongbiao: The Current Situation and Prospects of the Islamic State in Afghanistan
Liu Zhongmin: The Extremist Organization "Islamic State Khorasan Province": Atta's Toughest Challenge"
Liao Chengmei and Wang Caixia, "The Infiltration of the Islamic State" in Afghanistan: Current Situation, Causes and Impacts
Guo Qiang: A Comparative Study of the Afghan Taliban and the Islamic State
Lu Hao: Pakistani Religious Schools and Afghan Taliban Relations
Behind the Kabul Airport Attacks: The Taliban's Fierce Dark War with the Islamic State
https://www.dawnnews.tv/news/1170368/
Zhu Yongbiao: The Current Situation and Prospects of the Islamic State in Afghanistan
Ethnocultural Studies: The Infiltration of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Its Prospects
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