Terror Groups Maintain Presence And Continue Expansion In Afghanistan


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ISIS, Al-Qaeda Threaten Afghan Peace Process

Terror Groups Maintain Presence And Continue Expansion In Afghanistan

(New York, N.Y.) – A recent surge in attacks by ISIS and al-Qaeda-affiliated
militants in Afghanistan is demonstrating to western and Afghan forces that the
terror groups remain a formidable threat to peace and security in the region.
These mounting challenges were on display last week after ISISmounted
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a day-long guerilla assault on a Jalalabad prison that allowed 400 prisoners
to escape. Therecent
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swell of violence is disproving the notion that the presence of terror groups
in Afghanistan is deteriorating.

 

U.S. officials believe that ISIS is a growing problem in Afghanistan and have
expressed concern that if their operations are not curbed that the group could
expand their attacks against the West. While U.S. and allied military strikes
have been successful in weakening their position in Afghanistan, recent reports
indicate
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that ISIS has nimbly pivoted their recruitment strategies to draw in new
support and membership from radicalized Afghans anddisaffected Taliban members
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who are disenfranchised by the government’s peace process negotiations.

 

In parallel to a burgeoning ISIS threat, al-Qaeda is also purportedly
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  seeking to expand its footprint through its continued provision of support
and training to the Taliban. The move towards strengthened ties between the two
groups has provoked ire and concern from the U.S. and its regional allies, as
it directly violates stipulations of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal signed earlier
this year requiring the Taliban break ties with al-Qaeda.

 

The United Nations released a report
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affirms the afore-reporting that the Taliban continues to work closely with
al-Qaeda. According to the report, about 400 to 600 armed al-Qaeda operatives
are stationed in Afghanistan. The U.N. report claims that the Taliban regularly
consulted with al-Qaeda during the peace talks, promising to not break its
“historical ties” with al-Qaeda for any price.

 

A June 2020 op-ed
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by Counter Extremism Project (CEP) advisory board member Senator Joseph I.
Lieberman in the Washington Post points to the potential for these terrorist
groups to use Afghanistan as a new safe haven to plan attacks against
Americans. The departure of U.S. forces from bases in Afghanistan has given
rise to concern that the progress made by the largely successful operations
carried out against these groups will diminish and result in assured expansion.

 

To read CEP’s Afghanistan resource, please click here
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To read CEP’s ISIS resource, please click here
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To read CEP’s Taliban resource, please click here
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To read CEP’s Al-Qaeda resource, please click here
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