It is claimed that there are various terrorist organisations operating in Afghanistan, particularly the State of Iraq and al-Sham (DAESH), Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Among the aforementioned organisations, DAESH often makes a name for itself with its attacks in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, the terrorist organisation DAESH attacked Kabul Airport. More than 100 people lost their lives in this attack.
In addition to Taliban elements, DAESH also attacks Shiites/Hazaras living in the country and mullahs supporting the Taliban. In addition, the terrorist organisation is also known to have carried out various attacks in front of the Kabul Embassies of states that have a positive dialogue with the Taliban. Most recently, on 11 January 2023, the terrorist organisation DAESH carried out a suicide attack in front of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, killing 20 diplomats. It was also claimed that the timing of this attack coincided with the meeting of a Chinese delegation with Taliban officials. [i]
DAESH is aware of the geopolitical importance of Afghanistan in the context of its global strategy. In this context, DAESH believes that it can easily reach China, Russia, Central Asian states and Iran when it gains strength in Afghanistan and therefore strengthens its position in Afghanistan. Regardless of its name, DAESH sees a strong Afghan administration as an obstacle to its goals and uses all its trump cards to overthrow or weaken the Taliban.
Looking at the Taliban’s discourse and actions, it is seen that the Taliban sees DAESH as the primary threat and focuses on DAESH in the context of its counterterrorism policy. In this context, the Taliban characterises DAESH as an “external organisation” and therefore defines the fight against DAESH as a religious obligation.
Periodically, the Taliban organise operations against DAESH cells in various provinces of Afghanistan and neutralise some armed elements. In this context, the Taliban announced in its latest statement that it conducted operations in Kabul and Nimruz and neutralised eight terrorists. [ii]
Moreover, the Taliban arrested some Salafi mullahs on the grounds that they were associated with the terrorist organisation DAESH. As a matter of fact, some DAESH commanders surrendered as a result of Taliban operations. It can be stated that the Taliban wants to achieve some of its goals through the fight against DAESH.
First of all, through the fight against DAESH, the Taliban is trying to send the message that it is committed to the Doha Agreement of 29 February 2020 and that there is no terrorist threat against other states from Afghanistan. This is because any terrorist organisation operating in Afghanistan is a violation of the Doha Agreement.
It can be said that another goal of the Taliban is to gain the sympathy of the Afghan people. According to various sources, the elements of DAESH terrorist organisation in Afghanistan are mostly composed of foreign fighters. Therefore, it does not have a strong bond with the Afghan people. On the other hand, Taliban leaders and fighters emerged from the Afghan people. Therefore, through its operations against the terrorist organisation, the Taliban sends a message to the people that “you are not alone”. This strengthens the idea that the Taliban is the actor providing security and increases sympathy for the Taliban.
Additionally, the Taliban may also be aiming to gain the support of regional states in its claim to fight DAESH. This is because Russia, China, Iran and Central Asian countries consider DAESH as a threat to their national security and territorial integrity. Already since 2014, the regional states have established relations with the Taliban in line with the argument of fighting DAESH. Therefore, the Taliban seems to want to sustain this support in the current situation.
At this point, the Taliban’s claim that the US is supporting DAESH and thus implementing a project to destabilise the region is important. [iii] Because this claim accelerates the rapprochement of Russia and China with the Taliban. For this reason, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki has stated that the non-recognition of the Taliban is in the interest of DAESH. [iv]
As a result, the Taliban believe that DAESH cannot be recognised by the Afghan people and the international system. Therefore, it tries to consolidate its power in Afghanistan by fighting against the terrorist organisation. According to the Taliban, the international community has no choice but to support the Taliban in the fight against DAESH.
[i] “حمله انتحاری به وزارت خارجه طالبان؛ بین ۵ تا ۲۰ کشته شدند، داعش مسئولیت حمله را پذیرفت”, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/persian/articles/c98x1yzpjxeo, (Date of Accession: 02.01.2023).
[ii] “طالبان از کشته‌شدن 8 عضو «داعش» در جریان یک عملیات خبر داد”, Al-Arabia, https://l24.im/hbv, (Date of Accession: 02.01.2023).
[iii] “مسکو: آمریکا به صورت پنهانی از داعش در افغانستان حمایت می‌کند”, Mashreghnews, https://l24.im/dvVo, (Date of Accession: 02.01.2023).
[iv] “امیر خان متقی می‌گوید به‌رسمیت نشناختن طالبان، به سود داعش تمام می‌شود”, Afintl, https://www.afintl.com/20211017227640, (Date of Accession: 02.01.2023).
