Simultaneous to the Pakistan Army campaigns in Orakzai and Khyber Agencies in 2014, various TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) fighters crossed into Afghanistan. They were accompanied by their women and children, and lingered in Achin, Naziyan, Kot, DehBala, Ghanikhil and Rodat districts of Nangarhar province. Local people called them Muhajireen “Refugees” and shared their homes, food and blankets with them.
They hand anti-Pakistan approach and had business with no one in the area. They had brought the tales of gloom, war, conflict, demolition of their homes and other miseries with themselves. Their leaders were considering Pakistan as looter of Pashtun honor, land and assets.
Fighters of Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, Mangal Bagh and Hafiz Saeed Khan Orakzai and those related to TTP in Northern and Southern Waziristan and their family members were among them.
Emergence of Islamic State of Khorasan
Prior to the rise of the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) in 2014, there were both black and white flags seen on the top of homes in Achin district. A large proportion of these fighters were those of Commander Mangal Bagh of Lashkar-e Islam group from Khyber Agency. The other group was being led by Hafiz Saeed Khan, who was meanwhile head the Orakzai Agency branch of TTP.
After Hakimullah Mehsud, the TTP leader, became killed in 2013, the Orakzai did not follow the new TTP leader, Maulana Fazlullah; and, thus, they disassociated themselves from the group in 5th of October, 2014. On January, 2015, Saeed Khan and 12 other TTP commanders pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Daesh/ISIS) through a video. Hence, Al Baghdadi appointed him as the Emir (leader) of Khorasan branch and Abu Talha (Abdul rrauf Khadim) as his deputy. Among those who pledged allegiance were; Mullah Rauf Khadim, ISIS Emir of Helmand, Emir Gul Zaman Fatih, ISIS Emir of Khyber Agency, Huzifa, Emir of Deer Circle, Gholam Rasool, ISIS Leader of Waziristan, Talha, ISIS leader of Laki Marwat, Hafiz Dawlat, ISIS Emir of Kurram Agency, Khalid Mansoor, ISIS Emir of Hangu District, Sheikh Mufti Hassan, ISIS Emir of Peshwar, Sheikh Mohsin, ISIS Emir of Kunar, Abu Abdullah, ISIS Emir of Nangarhar, Omar Mansoor, Seikh Abdurrahim Muslim Dost and Qari Haron. Muslim Dost had got a decisive role in recruiting fighters for ISIS in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Orakzai is counted as radical group that has inclination to Sunnah and Tawheed or PanjPiri stratum. The group has got an adequate amount of followers in Orazai Agency, Bajawar and Malakand. The group had an important role and influence in the TTP leadership during the Emirate of Hakimullah Mehsud.
In 2015, the Baluchistan Federal Government, in a secret report, told the federal Government that Daesh group has recruited 10-12 thousand fighters in the country. According to the report, these people joined the group from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Hangu district, and Kurrm Agency. The report was, however, nullified by the federal Government. Hafiz Orakzai had lived in Hangu for a long time and had completed his religious studies at Hangu Islamic Dar-ul-Uloom too. The former spokesman of TTP, Shahidullah Sahid has also received education at the religious school as well.
On November 2015, the US Institute for Economics and Peace reported that some 500 fighters have joined ISIS ranks from Waziristan and Pakistan. Including a senior member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a large number of Pakistani fighters went to Syria in August of 2013. Among them were also those who had fled the Dera Ismail Khan District prison in July of 2013. At that time, a number of Taliban sources stated the motive behind the prison breaks to reinforce the fighters in Syria and Yemen. Amjad Muawiya became arrested by Syrian government forces. After the information retrieved were shared with Pakistani intelligence, the Pakistani security services, then, killed the leader of LeJ, Malik Ishaq and his comrades in a firefight with police in Muzaffargarh District of Southern Punjab, and arrested the leader of Ghulaman-e-Sahaba (GeS) group along with his 15 fighters for being accomplice with the Pakistan branch of ISIS.
Orakzai had close ties with TTP leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and had a crucial role to opt for him as the group leader. For that reason, Baitullah had appointed him as the member of TTP Council and commander of the group for Orakzai Agency.
Tendency towards ISIL in al-Qaeda
In 2013, Ibrahim, a Saudi Arabia citizen, was among those who were recruiting people into the ranks of ISIS in Mir Ali City of North Waziristan. Arab Spring and ISIS advancements in Iraq in early 2014 nourished the inclination toward the younger generation of Al Qaeda group, who were in possession of very radical ideas.
After the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, the rifts developed in the ranks of Al Qaeda. When the rumors pertain to the death of Mullah Omar spread, a lot of Al Qaeda members joined Jabhat Al Nusra (Al Nusra Front) and ISIS. In 2014, ISIS appointed its three members (Abu Farooq al-Shishani, Abu Bakr al Uzbeki and Abu Saad al-Daghestani) to activate the IS-Khorasan Front in Waziristan and Tribal Areas and recruit new fighters. At that time, they went to Waziristan and initiated their activities there. In February 2015, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, however, asked his three commanders to return to Iraq because the Iraqi government forces had launched operations to capture Tikrit in early March.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb also hit Al Qaeda in Waziristan. As a result, a lot of Al Qaeda members and their foreign supports, whose most of them were Uzbek and Uyghur fighters, gone to Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. It was a golden opportunity for ISIS to recruit fighters and open the Khorasan Front. A number of Uzbek fighters, and East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) members declared their allegiance to ISIS in October of 2014. Hundreds of China’s Xinyang fighters, accompanied by their families, went to Syria. A half of them joined the Al Nusra Front and the other half joint the Islamic State.
The Al Qareda Arab member in Afghanistan and Tribal Areas, Abu Huda Al-Sudani who was a close comrade of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, defect Al Qaeda and joint ISIS in April of 2014, and he approved the five TTP leaders who had pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. Osman Ghazi, Tahir Yuldash's successor pledged his allegiance to ISIS in 2015, and, as a consequence, his fighters went to Paktika’s Naka district, Zabul’s Khake Afghan district, and Helmand province. The son of Tahir Yuldash, Abdurrahman Yuldash, who was living in Karachi at the time his father was killed, was also accompanying them in this journey.
Extension of ISIS to Shinwari
Shinwari district of Afghanistan shares a porous border east side of Durand Line and has got much of strategic importance. The mountainous and jungle area has got a lot of valleys and roads, where having control on them are almost impossible. This proximity makes easy to bring in fighters, weapons, and other needed materials. Government sovereignty is limited in these areas, and, most of the times, the clans are divided, and involved in their internal disputes.
In the early 2014, fighters from tribal areas were residing in Shinwari and were labeling themselves as the follower of “Lashkar-e Islam or the Islam Army”. However, the Orakzi and Bajaur Agency fighters, who were counted as defectors of TTP, also joined them later. These fighters officially joined the ISIS in May of 2015 and inaugurated their headquarters in Momand Dara. They had a very good behavior with the local people and, apparently, had anti-Taliban agenda and were calling them “Murtad or Apostate” and the spies of ISI (Pakistan’ Inter-Service Intelligence). At the outset, the group was involving with no one, including officials, journalists and even military personnel. They were pro-government and anti-Taliban fighters according to local people; however, their behavior was gradually being changed as their control area was expanding.
As much as the fighters were intervening in people livelihood and wished to bring their businesses, agriculture and jungles under their control that much the sensitivities were being increased against them in the area. Unlike Taliban, the fighters of Islamic State of Khorasan (hereinafter”Daesh”) banned poppy cultivation and even imprisoned several farmers due to cultivating poppy in their farms in Achin and Haska Mena districts.
In January 2014, tribal elders of Achin and Spin Ghar districts asked the government to take the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e Islam fighters from their areas out. The group brought weapons from Tirah, Maidan and Tabai Kandaw areas located on the other side of the Durand Line in order to use them in fight against people in Pekhey Valley of Achin district. The Mangal Bagh fighters withdrew the area as a result of the resistance of Pekhey Valley people. Hence, a 200-member Arbaki armed force, based on a tribal agreement, became established in the area in order to maintain security there.
The clash started between tribal fighters and Taliban in December of 2014 after the Taliban realized that they try to have the area controlled. In the beginning, the Taliban did not want to enter into fight against Daesh as both of the groups had the motto of Islamic Shariah, and also there were a lot of fighters in the Taliban ranks who were unwilling to fight against black flag-holders. Without central decision on the matter, it would cause rifts in the ranks of the Taliban. Therefore, they sent a letter to ISIS Supreme Leader in Iraq and begun negotiations with IS-K leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan. Surprisingly, the response of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham was so harsh and shocking for the Taliban. Abu Mohammad Al Adnani, ISIS spokesman, in a voice clip, called Taliban the comrades of Pakistani intelligence and warned them either to repent or prepare for the fight against Daesh. After the challenging message, Taliban gathered a meeting of its devotee religious scholars, and, grounded on a shared fatwa, started their fight against Daesh.
Taliban expedite their propaganda against Daesh and intimidated the people that the fighters of Islamic State take their females and are not fettered to any kind of traditions, culture and values.
For a while, Daesh had radio broadcasts under the banner of Islamic Caliphate in Nagarhar province and the neighborhood through its FM Radio Channel in order to have its propaganda continued. But the Radio Channel was destroyed by a US Drone attack in late January of 2016. Daesh was less active in disseminating information due to unfavorable conditions, compared to Taliban. The group was handling its propaganda activities from its headquarters and, consequently, when their headquarters were demolished, their entire propaganda mechanism became inactive. Unlike it, the Taliban have more, good and close ties with journalists. Furthermore, the mosques and madrasa are under the control, influence of Taliban in rural areas.
On July 16, 2015, Daesh exploded 11 tribal elders with mines because they had assisted the Taliban during their campaign against the group. The action presented an execrable image of the Islamic State of Khorasan on local, national and international level. Terrorist and insurgent groups perpetrates such crimes for the purpose of propaganda; however, this action of their instigated a new wave of hatred against Daesh in Afghanistan and Nangarhar.
In January 2016, Taliban gathered 3,000 of its best fighters from Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand, Uruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Logar and Ghazni provinces and launched aggressive campaigns on Daesh in Chaparhar and BatiKot districts. Afghan and foreign forces were also launching attacks against the group from time to time; yet, the Taliban were suspicious about these raids. The Taliban perception was that Afghan and foreign forces launch raids against Daesh whenever the group is encountered defeat or is under the siege. At first, Afghan security institutions did not clash with Daesh as they thought that the group might be good tools against Taliban and Pakistan influence; however, Daesh was out of control anymore and was launching attacks on public facilities and government institutions in Kabul and other provinces.
On March 2018, Daesh attacked the Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan Military hospital and killed tens of people and wounded some 100 other there; hence, Afghan security institutions realized that Daesh is being used for the deadliest attacks by adversary groups and countries.
Simultaneously, Taliban launched operations against Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim and Mullah Mansoor Dadullah’s groups, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, in Helmand, Farah and Zabul province. Mullah Khadim became eliminated by Drone attack and Mansoor Dadullah became killed by Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour’s men. Taking the Nangarhar experience into consideration, Taliban were cautious about the every new emerging group, and, thus, they even killed those Hizb-e Islami commanders, including Nasib Gul, who were carrying the threat to form a new group or join the ISIS.
A great headache for Taliban in Zabul province was Mullah Mansoor Dadullah and the 200 Uzbek fighters who were firstly came from Waziristan to Naka district of Paktika province and, then, were gone to Zabul. The Zabul Daesh group grabbed attention after in kidnapped and, then, killed seven Shiite people in November of 2015. Daesh fighters developed strongholds in northern district of Zabul, specifically Arghandab district. Taliban said that the reason behind their operations against the group is that the Daesh fighters were labeling the Taliban as apostates, puppets, and rebels; and, therefore, they had to jettison them. Taliban were claiming that Daesh armed men stimulating religious war, and were recruiting people’s wives as their slaves.
On August 2018, hundreds of Daesh fighters led by Mawlawi Habiburrahman surrendered to Afghan government and Taliban group in Darzab district of Jawzjan province. Habiburrahman was Daesh Emir in North of Afghanistan. He and his fighters were under Taliban siege in the valley. Taliban had gather round its combat force from Helmand, Badghis, Ghor, and Balkh, Faryab, Badakhshan and Kunduz provinces.
People Fear and Concerns about Daesh
The sudden spreading out and hatred actions of Daesh augmented the misgivings about the group among the people.
Nangarhar representative at Afghanistan Wolesi Jirga “Lower House of the Parliament”, ZahirQadir accused a number of government officials with supporting Daesh, and that the Afghan security forces leave their posts and the group advances as a result. In his interview with BBC in October of 2017, former President Hamid Karzai accused the United States with providing support to Daesh; and, later, he told Turkey’s Anadolu New Agency that “Daesh is a US project”.
In return, ZahirQadir and his friends were accused of taking money from Pakistan who tries to stick Daesh on the Afghan government. They were arguing that Pakistan wants to harm the confidence, influence and capabilities of Afghan security institutions.
The remarks in Afghan political circles also made Iran, Russia and China penetrating.
On January 2018, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov told in press conference that unknown helicopters have been seen in terrorist-controlled areas, and they wait for the US response in this regard. Lavrov reported that they have concerns regarding Daesh influence and expansion in Afghanistan.
Iranian officials frequently have expressed their concerns regarding transfer of ISIS fighter from Iraq. Meanwhile, the propaganda on transfer of Fatimyoon Brigade fighters against Daesh had also hit the peak. Fatimoyoon was/is a brigade made by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Former Afghanistan intelligence chief, Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, in an interview with BBC on February of 2018, nullified the entire rumors about the support of Afghan government from Daesh and added that it was Taliban whohad a role in transferring Daesh to the Northern Afghanistan. “It is a big mistake. Freedom without borders is a disaster. If we talk such things without political aims, we impact the national interests. It makes to change the other countries perception of Taliban that they are better in Daesh, and, thus, they should be assisted with for the elimination of Daesh” Stanekzai said. Russia and Iran assist and support the Taliban in the name of war against Daesh, he added.
Daesh-related discussions had a decisive role in development of an anti-Daesh front not only in Afghanistan but in the entire region. Afghanistan had faced domestic and foreign pressure in regards with the problem of Daesh. These pressure and Taliban campaigns against Daesh encouraged the US and Afghan government to launch operations against the group. For the very first time, US used MOAB (the world’s greatest bomb) against Daesh strongholds in Achin that was accompanied by severe reactions.
Afghan security forces launched operations against the groups in Nangarhar and a number of other provinces, and took some fighters from the Taliban siege out.
Operations against Daesh in Nangarhar
In 2018, President Ghani brought some changes in the civil and military administration of Nanagarhar province in order to improve the state of affairs there. Based on the changes, security institutions were able to develop coordination with tribal upraising groups, and, Shah Mahmood Miakhil became appointed as the governor of Nangarhar. In an article to Pajhwok Afghan News Agency, Miakhil wrote that the motive behind his appointment was to bring harmony among the security forces and local people to eliminate Daesh and other insurgent groups from Nanagarhar. Under a Real COIN strategy, Afghan forces focused on the Eastern Jalalabad in order to secure the Jalalabad-Torkham highway. Firstly, they captured Laalpoora district from Taliban and, then, established permanent post of local uprising groups, who were supported by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The Governor of Nangarhar states the reason behind his focus on East to sear the resources of Taliban and Daesh there. According to Nangarhar governor, they, based on the new strategy, then, focused on South in order to obliterate Daesh.
At the end of the operations against Daesh, the Nangarhar provincial administration told that hundreds of Daesh fighters have surrendered to them, including those coming from Pakistan, Iran, Jordan, India, Tajikistan, Maldives, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. On November 19, in his visit to Nangarhar, President Ghani announced that the Daesh is wiped out in Eastern Afghanistan.
Challenging the Taliban
Daesh has got lesser fighters than those of the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is estimated that there are 2000-4000 Daesh fighters in Afghanistan; however, some of them have surrendered and killed recently. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has counted 60,000 Taliban fighters in its latest report. Based on the SIGAR report, some 90 thousands other fighters join the Taliban seasonally. However, Daesh is a serious concern for the Taliban.
Following Syria and Iraq, Daesh killed more people in its attacks in Afghanistan from January 2018 to January 2019. The deadliest attack of the group was on a wedding ceremony at a hotel in Kabul which killed tens of people.
Prior to the declaration of Daesh defeat in Nangarhar, Taliban said that they have transferred their combat units, which make one third of the Taliban fighters, from entire provinces of Afghanistan and positioned them in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, and, have put their entire force on work to wipe out Daesh before conclusion of the peace deal. Taliban fears that the presence of Daesh is a big challenge to them; from other hand, it creates opportunity for US to continue its presence in Afghanistan, making allowances for the war on Daesh.
Daesh is the most intransigent anti-Taliban group that has got radical religious ideas. During the negotiations between Taliban and US, the group said that “the Taliban have secretly and obviously made a deal with US and the entire world knows that the Taliban makes a deal with savage Americans but fights against us”. In 2019, especially, within the last six months, the Taliban had allocated most of its force to eliminate Daesh. The very bad image of Daesh among the people had developed a friendly environment for Taliban. The group was getting use of public relations and tribal jirgas “gatherings” against Daesh, and, hence, launched its attacks after the conditions were favorable. In 2015 and onward, the group used the similar technique in Khogyani, BatiKor, Pachiragam, Laalpoora and Ghanikhil districts.
The entire human, economic and military force of Taliban was involved in fight against Daesh. As mentioned earlier, they had gathered their well-trained and elite fighters from the entire provinces of Afghanistan; however, the action had emptied the Taliban front from their good soldiers and commanders. As a consequence, their fight against government and foreign forces were in the lowest level.
Daesh had adversely impacted the Taliban war machine and had derailed their war trajectory. The Haqqani Network and Fatih Sangeen, brother of Mawlawi Sangeen Zadran, had got decisive role in this ground. They, in collaboration with local Taliban, fought against Daesh in Paktika, Nangarhar and Kunar provinces for six months. A headquarter of Haqqani Network in fight against Daesh was located in NadirshahKot district of Khost province, where the entire affairs of Great Paktia were controlled from there. Haqqani Network Commander Qari Hazir Mohammad was the first man here who sent several units of fighters from Khost province to fight against the Islamci State of Khorasan.
Nangarhar MP, Zahir Qadir was among those who organized local uprising for fight against Daesh and launched operations on Daesh strongholds in Achin, Nazyan and Kot districts. They were criticized by people for countering Daesh. On December 2015, Qadir fighters chopped heads of five Daesh fighters off and put them on the road to be visible to everyone.
Factors behind Daesh Defeat
Besides military, political and economic factors and regional and international pressure, there are also some environmental, cultural and social factors that have got decisive role in Daesh rout.
Some of the factors are as follow:
First: The fighters, who had joined Al Qaeda Network in Waziristan in 2003, had more radical ideas than the previous members of the network. They were accusing the first generation leadership of Al Qaeda for religious compromise in Waziristan. The new fighters of Al Qaida were craving for implementing Sharia law in Waziristan. According to them, the Jirga system and Pashtun tradition were profane and those of colonial. Yet, the Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda Leadership were frequently recommending their fighters to neither have business with the lifestyle, culture and traditions of local people nor to become mentors of them. It was a successful approach of both Haqqani and Al Qaeda Networks to win the people’s minds and hearts. They did not want to have the locals against them. Unlike, Uzbek, Uyghur and other fighters that had weak understanding of Pashtun tribal structure and culture and had a short experience of presence in Pashtun society faced several problems in Pashtun geography. In 2007, Al Qaeda not only did not support the Uzbekistan Islamic Movement in its fight with Mullah Nazir and Pakistani forces but it also challenged its combat strategy and Jihadi policies as well. Daesh also had the Uzbke-alike behavior with local people in Achin, Helmand and Darzab.
Second: Daesh was living in unfamiliar environment; however, it did not make effort to make the environment friendly, or at least, keep itself distant from the internal affairs of the local community. Like Uzbek fighters that took the side of a specific tribe in tribal conflicts in Waziristan, Daesh trapped in the same mistake and was used by a specific tribe against another tribe in Shinwari clan. They intervene in people affairs, banned them from cultivating poppy and performed actions that were against Afghan traditions, customs and culture. Guest is protected by any mean in Pashtun culture but if the guest tried to become the host and would like to have control over the people, he will be face social ostracism and opposition.
Third, Daesh had picked an inappropriate geography for itself. Afghanistan’s Pashtun are majority in Afghanistan, compare to those of Pakistan. They are in power and their voice is heard by authorities and even the world. A reason that has made the Al Qaeda and other insurgent groups to continue to operation in Waziristan is that it was a remote area of a backward minority; in the case, Nangarhar is counted in rather educated, developed and the areas of the country where it is possible to see political and civic harmony there. And, therefore, the voice of deprivation, cruelties and oppression is heard soon.
Fourth: Nationalism is still prevailing in Pashtuns. The factor is so valuable when it comes to the cause of local religious movements. Daesh was not in possession of that supportive factor.
Fifth: The Jihad and freedom movements among Pashtuns are local and patriotic. Pashtun religious movements could be gathered under the motto of freedom, jihad and etc. in the limited geography (locally and nationally), instead of Islamic Caliphate. Despite Amir Amanullah Khan’s support for the Islamic Caliphate efforts in British India, Pashtun fighters were not interested in the movement and, therefore, became engaged with British troops on local level.
Sixth: Unlike Al Qaeda, Haqqani Network and other insurgent groups, Daesh had not got the support, favorable environment and war economy. The groups that are not able to promote war economy and market (weapon sales, black market, smuggle)in retrograded communities when it comes to their economy, they cannot obtain the local support. A privilege of insurgent groups in Waziristan and other tribal areas was that they had developed crime and war economy, where they had involved a large portion of the society, especially the youth in it.
Will Daesh Resurge?
There are indications that the Islamic State group is re-organizing in Iraq, two years after losing the last of its terrorist in the country.
In December of 2019, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official in Iraq, Lahur Talabany, told BBC that Daesh has spent the past 12 months rebuilding from the ruins of the caliphate, and the rebuilding phase is over. A different kind of IS has emerged, Talabany says, which no longer wants to control any territory to avoid being a target. Instead - like their predecessors in Al Qaeda before them – the extremists have gone underground, in Iraq’s Hamrin Mountains and Tigris River.
Considering the Iraq experience, there is a higher probability for Daesh to resurge in Afghanistan.
Terrorism experts believe that ISIS has got remarkable flexibility, and as it, prior to defeat in Iraq and Syrian, activated its branches in other countries, it, simultaneous to elimination in Nangarhar and Jawzjan, also has kept its silent presence in other provinces of Afghanistan.
The experiences of campaign against Taliban in 2001 and the comparison of both situations allows the analysis that Daesh group will, once again, resurge in another geography once it finished its mobilization, strengthened its economic resources and completed its recruitment process.
For now, Daesh focus on recruitment instead of war. Specifically, the Northern provinces of Afghanistan will be the focus of the group as they will be proved more effective than Nangarhar and Eastern provinces. The TTP fighters on the other side of the Durand Line play locally and are not interested in the cause of intentional jihad. Daesh may prefer to use Kunar province as its headquarters instead of palpable activities and clashing with people. However, its war machine will be transferred to the North and other areas of Afghanistan and the fighters will be recruited from those regions as well, because they both share culture, language and race, and reside on border with the Central Asian counties.
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References:
Borhan.Osman, “The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar,” AAN, 27 Jul 2016 , https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/the-islamic-state-in-khorasan-how-it-began-and-where-it-stands-now-in-nangarhar/
LWJ, “Islamic State appoints leaders of ‘Khorasan province,’ issues veiled threat to Afghan Taliban,” https://www.vocativ.com/world/isis-2/isis-khorasan/; Long War Journal, January 27, 2015.
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/27/642186344/isis-leader-in-afghanistan-killed-in-u-s-strike-officials-say; npr, “ISIS Leader In Afghanistan Killed In U.S. Strike, Officials Say,” npr, August 27, 2018.
Rahim. Najim and Nordland. Rod, Taliban Surge Routs ISIS in Northern Afghanistan,” nytimes, Aug. 01, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-isis.html;
Sahaar.Nazeer, “footprint of Al-Qaeda,” Kubha Dialogue Archives, Feb, 2019.
Miakhil, Shah Mahmood, “IS-K eliminated in Nangarhar, Afghanistan but left behind ruined houses and land mines” Pajhwok Afghan News, Dec 26, 2019, https://www.pajhwok.com/en/opinions/k-eliminated-nangarhar-afghanistan-left-behind-ruined-houses-and-land-mines.