Daily Times

Islamic State (IS) has been able to muster the support of a few Afghan Taliban, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Chechens previously associated with al Qaeda and some of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) thugs that are ensconced in Kunar. Yet IS militant presence in Afghanistan is insignificant. Afghan legislators complained last September that IS was active in parts of the country and confirmed IS’s presence, as IS recruited disenchanted extremists from the Taliban and other organisations inspired by its territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. However, the number of IS supporters in Afghanistan and nearby parts of Pakistan remains small, and the group faces resistance from militants with strong tribal links. The Afghan Taliban are struggling to maintain unity in their ranks amid reports of splits within the group and some of the militants fighting each other in the east of the country.
The groups are those still loyal to the original Taliban, others fighting under the name of IS and those who want to lay down arms and join the peace process with the Afghan government. An Afghan official recently said that IS now has a presence in three provinces, adding that the government is determined to drive it out. Zafar Hashimi, the Afghan president’s deputy spokesman, said that the group, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, is active in the eastern Nangarhar, western Farah and southern Helmand provinces. This is a matter of great concern for the Taliban as well Afghan government. Apart from Pakistan’s clear-cut message to the Taliban that it should enter into dialogue with the Afghan government, Afghan Taliban field commanders must have given to Mullah Omer information about the situation on the ground via IS presence in Afghanistan.
It was in this backdrop that Mullah Omar endorsed the recent talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials, saying that negotiating with the enemy is not prohibited in Islam. The meeting between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives was hailed by both Washington and Beijing but was denounced by members of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, who said the Taliban delegation was not authorised to represent the movement. Taliban leaders at the Qatar office were not in favour of the meeting that took place in Murree because they felt that they were being relegated to a secondary position. Mullah Omar’s message is an effort to iron out differences in the movement. “All mujahideen and countrymen should be confident that in this process I will unwaveringly defend our legal rights and viewpoints everywhere,” read the statement. The message was released a week after the meeting in Murree.
It was the first time in several years that the two sides had a formal meeting, which was, of course, the follow-up of a series of informal meetings since May in China, Qatar and Norway. However, just like differences in the Taliban over the meeting between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives, there are elements in the Afghan government opposing dialogue with the Taliban. In 2013, when Hamid Karzai was at the helm, he used to say sarcastically that unless Pakistan cooperated, successful and meaningful talks were impossible. “As you know there have been many talks and negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan; however I must say, unless Pakistan acts honestly and takes practical steps for what it is saying, it will be very difficult to have any progress in the peace process or fight against terrorism and extremism,” Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi, had said.
As regards Mullah Omer’s message on July 25, 2014 on the occasion of last year’s Eid, he indicated that he was willing to accommodate other ethnic groups. He had also supported the opening of an office in Doha. “The objective behind our political endeavouurs as well as contacts and interactions with countries of the world and our own Afghans is to bring an end to the occupation and to establish an independent Islamic system in our country,” Mullah Omar said. His last year’s statement on the eve of Eid suggested that the Taliban continued to view the purpose of an office as a front from where it could liaise with the international community. He claimed that due to the efforts of the political office the Islamic Emirate had gained a political visage in the international community, which now came around to accept the Islamic Emirate as a reality.
Mullah Omer’s call for unity on July 15, 2015 is timely as some of the Taliban leaders like Shahidullah Shahid and a few others had joined IS. Shahidullah Shahid was killed in a drone attack while dozens of IS militants were killed in three drone attacks within one week. It appears that there is a tacit understanding between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban to go after the IS militants who are active in the three provinces. They are adopting the strategy they adopted in Iraq — taking control of oil-producing areas — and are trying to capture opium-producing regions to strengthen their economic position. The Taliban has warned IS to stay out of the country. Both groups want Islamic rule but the Taliban do not recognise IS’s self-styled caliphate and killing of innocent people.
Secondly, Baghdadi allegedly said: “Mullah Omar is an ignorant, illiterate warlord, unworthy of spiritual respect.” The Taliban’s ruling council then declared a zero-tolerance policy for anyone under their purview who recruits for or enlists in IS. They had bestowed that honour on Mullah Omar back in 1996, when he led them to victory over the warlords who then held power in Kabul. In the last week of June, more than 12 people were killed in a clash between militants from Taliban and the self-proclaimed IS in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Clashes between the two groups emerged in the Khogiani district of the province. Over seven Taliban militants were killed and eight others were wounded as a result of the fighting. IS’s dreaded commander in the area, Qari Mirwais, was among those killed in the clash.

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at mjamil1938@hotmail.com