Concerns over the expansion of Daesh activities in Afghanistan are on the rise as American and Taliban interlocutors are set to meet in the seventh round of negotiations aimed to find a political settlement to the bloody Afghan conflict. There have been some questions and concerns about the presence of fighters operating under the name of the Islamic State of Khorasan in Afghanistan — an offshoot of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — that need to be responded to. When the group first made inroads into some parts of the country, especially in eastern Nangarhar province, the fighters were said not to be members of the group that had announced creation of a caliphate under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq and Syria. Later on, some politicians accused Afghan government of backing the fighters. When fighting erupted between the Taliban and Daesh, the former alleged that the US-led international troops and Afghan government were supporting the outfit.
The Taliban have recently claimed again that American troops have airlifted Daesh fighters out of Taliban’s siege in Kunar province. The militants have made repeated claims that US troops had bombed their positions during clashes with Daesh fighters.
Not only Afghan people but also some regional states share the concerns. For example, Russia sees the group as a “western conspiracy” designed to export violence to the Central Asian states. Russia’s Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov said last May that the number of Daesh fighters in Afghanistan’s north had been doubled. Additionally, Iran has voiced concerns about the activities of the terrorist group in Afghanistan.
The growing activities and expansion of Daesh are also a question for Afghan people. As the group began to emerge in the country, Afghans did not see an opportunity that the group would gain momentum due to the clash of their ideology and the values of Afghan people. Moreover, it was less likely that the group will expand considering the presence of a strong militant group such as the Taliban who, according to the United States, hold sway over almost half of the country. However, Daesh managed to maintain its presence in the country. There is a fear among Afghan people that the white flag (the Taliban’s flag) will be replaced with the black flag (Daesh’s flag), thereby plunging the country into another conflict in which its people will suffer from terrorism for several more decades. There are so many questions and concerns about the activities and expansion of Daesh in Afghanistan which the United States and its Western allies should address.