As anxiety grows about the increasing strength of Islamic State (IS) and its violent attacks against the Afghan army, the extent of its countrywide presence remains difficult to determine. The digital, financial and technological reach of the terrorist group is an important factor. In the past year, some important books have appeared in London discussing IS’s military activities, operations and resource gathering in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These books highlight the effectiveness of the provocation strategies of the group but little is known about the specific tactics of IS in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Its strategies evolve every day and its methods of killing propagate terror in the region.
During the 13-year war on terror in Afghanistan, the Taliban strove to provoke citizens against the state. As we have already experienced in Swat, Malakand, Tirah, Waziristan, Gilgit, Karachi and Afghanistan, the Taliban provoked civilians against the state and the state responded with an iron fist, which resulted in mass migration and displacement. The same strategy was applied in Afghanistan by IS to train young people from areas where the economic, political and social situation is challenging. The group promotes hate, anger and hopelessness. With the establishment of IS in the country, the strategies of violence have changed there. IS is growing and several extremist groups have joined its network, carrying out attacks against the Afghan army in various provinces.
Afghanistan’s national security advisor, Muhammad Hanif Atmar, recently warned that IS is trying access the market of drug trafficking and start smuggling operations in Afghanistan. Speaking in parliament last week, he said that terror groups want to finance their activities by gaining access to the drugs market. He also warned that IS is going to commence operations in Central Asia and Chinese Turkistan because the group does not recognise the boundaries of states. IS’s nexus with terrorist groups in Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, Kashmir and North Caucasus is a matter of deep concern because these elements are jointly fighting the Afghan army in Kunduz province. In his interview with the Associated Press, former governor Ismail Khan said that IS is growing because of the government’s ineffectiveness. “The differences that exist in the national unity government are helping to boost the enemies’ morale, the morale of IS and the Taliban,” Khan said.
The security situation in Afghanistan is getting worse as IS fighters spread across the country. The group has fixed eyes on Pakistan and China’s borders and its forces continue to attack the Pakistan army’s check posts in Swat, Bajaur, Malakand and FATA to gain control of heavy weapons. IS has become a global jihadist organisation. The UN recently warned that more than 15,000 foreign jihadists from 80 countries have joined IS in the insurgency in Iraq and Syria. It is evident from numerous reports that IS is involved in drug trafficking and earns billion of dollars annually.
The group’s main source of income is looting, extortion, illegal oil export and robbery. Kidnapping for ransom and the slave trade of women and children are profitable businesses for IS. Moreover, the group sells oil for $ 20 to $ 35 per barrel and earns one billion dollars from drug trafficking per annum. Huge quantities of heroin are transported from Afghanistan via parts of Iraq that are under IS’s control. Recent reports from the Afghan media have warned that IS has established training camps in Farah province. The administrator of Khak-e-Safid district, Abdul Khaliq Noozai, admitted to the presence of more than 80 militants there. Mr Noozai said that the group’s fighters were equipped with modern weapons and that some Taliban groups had also joined them. The groups led by Mullah Abdul Raziq and Mullah Abdul Malik have recently joined IS.
The presence of foreigners in Farah province has caused fear and anxiety but, due to the ineffectiveness of the unity government and its forces, the residents of the province are forced to rely on the militants for justice. The head of the Faryab provincial council warned that the movements of foreign nationals who could not speak Afghan languages had increased and that security could deteriorate in the province if the government does not address the issue: “If the central government does not undertake to make the necessary arrangements to prevent these individuals from entering the country, Faryab could change into one of the most insecure provinces in the country.” The Taliban and IS have increased their attacks in the province and frequently target the Afghan security forces. On May 9, 2015, a group of Taliban militants attacked the Afghan army’s posts on the Herat-Kandahar highway in Farah province. On May 10, 2015, the Taliban and IS attacked the Afghan intelligence compound in Kandahar and, in Badghis province, IS defeated the Afghan army and took control of Jawand district.
Frustrated by the increasing Taliban and IS attacks in northern Afghanistan, the governor of Balkh province, Mr Atta Noor, also criticised the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) signed with the US and its allies. He warned that if the government does not do something to curb this issue, he will be forced to defend his people. In the Afghan parliament, MPs demanded the appointment of a defence minister. To elucidate his government’s resolve, President Ashraf Ghani discussed the country’s security situation with top security officials via video conference. President Ghani has failed to address the grievances of his country’s citizens. He has also failed to protect helpless Afghans from the wrath of IS and the Taliban. Because IS has now become strong and has built an organised army, the group has openly challenged the authority of the Afghan state. The Afghan army has proved itself unable to defeat IS and establish the writ of the government.
The writer is author of Punjabi Taliban and can be reached at [email protected]