Attacks by IS-K cast doubt on Taliban claims of restoring order in Afghanistan

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• May 7, 2022 | admin

As per experts, IS-K is attempting to disrupt the Taliban-led administration by exposing its failure to provide security.

Digital Desk: According to an international news agency report, the Taliban's claim that it has restored law and order in the war-torn country has been shattered by a series of high-profile strikes by IS-K terrorists in recent weeks.

The Taliban have undertaken a brutal assault on IS-K fighters and their supporters since capturing control in August 2021. On the other hand, IS-K has remained resilient, launching frequent strikes against Taliban militants and officials.

IS-K, as per experts, is attempting to destabilize the Taliban-led administration by exposing its failure to provide security. The Taliban have long claimed to be a stabilizing force capable of bringing peace to Afghanistan.

According to the research, the Taliban employed hard force and repression to subdue significant portions of the country during a horrific civil war in the 1990s.

"IS-fundamental K's goal is to prevent the Taliban from shifting from insurgency to [functioning] governance," said Abdul Sayed, an IS-K researcher stationed in Sweden.

The Taliban have failed to make that shift as they deal with an economy in freefall, foreign isolation, and deepening internal schisms. IS-K assaults have further threatened the Taliban's hardline authority.

"As long as the Taliban operate as an insurgency and fail to mature into a government acceptable to Afghans, they will be unable to establish a comprehensive counter-terrorism programme," Sayed added.

Originally formed in 2015, the Taliban have consistently underestimated the threat presented by IS-K.

"Without a doubt, Daesh has been crushed and repressed," said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

According to Mujahid, IS-K's attacks on mosques and schools are "symptoms of its weakness and defeat."

The Taliban's assertion has been debunked by a series of violent IS-K assaults in recent weeks, targeting religious minorities.

IS-K members, according to Sayed, are sowing instability through urban warfare and guerilla tactics.

"These strikes are intended to demonstrate that the Taliban's attempt to seize power was a failure," he stated.

According to a recent study released by Sayed, IS-K has carried out at least 119 strikes in Afghanistan in the first four months of this year, up from 39 in the same period in 2021. Suicide bombs, killings, and ambushes on security stations were among the attacks.

IS-K intends to undermine "the Taliban's claims that they are a force of stability in Afghanistan and the region," according to Zia Ur Rehman, an independent Pakistani journalist who studies terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

According to the reports of Zia Ur Rehman, "They're also attempting to exploit their standing as the most powerful militant organisation fighting the Taliban within Afghanistan."

IS-K, according to experts, remains a major security concern for the Taliban.

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