Both Afghan government and the Taliban claim to have routed the Islamic State of Khurasan (IS-K) or Daesh, an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in the country’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar. Hundreds of the group’s fighters and their family members, mostly Pakistani nationals, have surrendered to Afghan forces over the last several weeks. The Taliban claim they have crushed Daesh in the eastern regions.
Although it is not the first time that the government makes such a claim, the surrender of hundreds of fighters this time not only makes it distinct from the past, but it is also an unprecedented development. The group was under relentless pressure simultaneously from Afghan forces and the Taliban. Another reason for the capitulation of the terrorist group may be the killing of the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US troops in Syria.
The decimation of Daesh is essential for stability in the country. Daesh would remain a threat if there were a peace deal with the Taliban. There were fears that even if Afghan government and the Taliban reach a peace agreement, Daesh will continue to serve as an address to absorb Taliban defectors, or elements pursuing their interests in continued war after peace agreement with the Taliban. The recent claims of victory by Afghan government and Taliban over Daesh in the east assuage these fears to some extent.
Daesh poses even greater threat to Afghanistan than the Taliban because the Taliban’s ambitions are confined only to Afghanistan, and have never signaled supporting radical groups overseas whereas Daesh is seeking to establish a global caliphate, which rejects nation states and their borders. Thus, the presence of the terrorist group in Afghanistan can provide a platform for global terrorists, something that will continue to destabilize country.
Afghan government has a unique opportunity to eliminate the terrorist group once and for all, and should not miss it. Afghan security forces have to dismantle the group wherever in the country it is operating. Daesh terrorists have lost the morale and vigor to fight, a situation Afghan government should exploit to uproot the group and neutralize its threat forever.
