Daily Times

Last week, Russian Television (RT) aired interview of Wikileaks founder Mr. Julian Assange with a UK based Australian journalist, Mr. John Pilger. Mr. Assange uncovered important facts about the wealthy officials from Saudi Arabia and Qatar donating money to the Hillary Clinton’s Foundation and Islamic State (IS) respectively. In 17 August 2014, Mr. Assange made public an email in which Hillary Clinton urged the then advisor to US President Barak Obama, Mr. John Podesta, to pressure Qatar and Saudi Arabia for funding Islamic State (IS). These revelations sparked wide-ranging debates in print and electronic media across the globe, which may possibly affect relations of the Qatar and Saudi governments with the Gulf and South Asian states. It is alleged that Saudi financial assistance to extremist organisations prompted unprecedented civil wars, devastation, torture and displacement of millions Muslims in Middle East, South Asia, and Gulf regions. Similar rumours are at spin regarding the militant Islamic group Daesh. There are different opinions about the strength and area of Daesh’s influence, but recent events proved that Daesh is more powerful than the Taliban terrorist groups. In January 2015, Islamic State (IS) announced the formation of another terrorist group named Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP), which represents a Salafi school of thought and allegedly receives financial assistance from secret channels across the Durand Line.

The membership of this newly established terrorist group in Afghanistan and Pakistan is more than 20,000 at present, but keeping in view its sphere of influence and operations, experts fear that the group’s fast growing cadre can spread across South Asia in a relatively short space of time. The Islamic State of Khorasan has recently approached extremist sectarian groups of Pakistan for support, and distributed leaflets and other propaganda material in Pashtu, Urdu, and Persian languages to invite young people from different communities. This group also threatened India and Russia, and became a consecutive headache for Afghanistan. The group has established its networks in South and North Waziristan, Jalalabad, Kunar, and Nooristan province.

During the last 11 months, high profile defections in the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban increased the strength of the group, and expanded its military blanket to remote areas of Afghanistan. Police and intelligence experts in Pakistan believe the networks of Islamic State (IS) in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and parts of Punjab can at any time engage with security forces. Punjab is the centre of dozens sectarian extremist groups operating with impunity. In July 2013, the TTP spokesman told BBC that the group had established its network in Syria with the help of Arab terrorists who fought in Afghan jihad in 1980s. He also admitted that 12 Pakistani Taliban with expertise in information technology had gone to Syria in 2016.

In Afghanistan, close cooperation between Daesh and some disgruntled Taliban groups has added to the pain of the Unity Government. The Khorasan terrorist group, which emerged with a strong military power in 2015, is in control of important districts in Jalalabad province. The group’s military tactics include beheading, public prosecution, kidnapping, and torture, looting and raping, and also forcing families from their homes.

Due to the weakness of Taliban and local administration, the Islamic State of Khorasan expanded its networks to all districts of Jalalabad. In Kunar, Nooristan and Jalalabad provinces, more than 13 terrorist groups are operating with their strong networks. Some of the groups including Quetta Shura, Tora Bora Jihadi group, Gul Buddin Hekmatyar group, Salafi group, Fidayee Karwan, Sia Pushan groups (identified as black-clad and masked terrorists) are in clandestine collaboration with the Khorasan group, TTP, and Lashkar-e-Islam group. In Mohmand Agency, Jamaat Al Ahrar and TTP are operating in collaboration with ISKP.

The influx of terrorist groups like Khorasan and Taliban in Jalalabad province has challenged the writ of the local administration. Afghan President Ghani also warned that 30 terrorist groups operating across the country pose serious threat to the national security of Afghanistan. The UN experts also believe that more than 45,000 terrorists are fighting against the Afghan National army and between 20 to 25 percent are foreigners. Propaganda machine of the Islamic State (IS) is also causing a great concern for parents as their school going children become victim of the so called jihadist culture.

The full body of Islamic State machine is strong as its radio stations, photographic reports, and bulletins are being circulated in different languages. Internet is also the source of propaganda of the ISKP groups where experts of the group disseminate controversial information through videos and articles. Moreover, the group has challenged the presence of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Last week, some members of Afghan parliament severely criticised the United States and its NATO allies for their support to the Islamic State.

They also raised the question of foreign financial support to the terrorist group, and asked the Unity Government to positively respond to the brutalities and atrocities of the IS commanders. However, Daesh has also spread its evil tentacles to the North to control provinces bordering Russia and China. The group wants to infiltrate into Chinese Muslim province and parts of Central Asia and challenge the authority of local governments there. The civilian deaths in Afghanistan have become a routine as innocent women and girls are kidnapped, raped and tortured in the group’s secret prisons in Kunar and Jalalabad provinces. The Islamic State fighters are being facilitated by the corrupt commanders of the Afghan government. They are sheltered, armed and transported by them to their destination.

The writer is author of Fixing the EU Intel Crisis and can be reached at zai.musakhan222@gmail.com