RASC News Agency: Local sources in Nangarhar have reported that Musa, a former Taliban commander, is now the leader of ISIS in the district of Dara Noor. Recently, ISIS claimed responsibility for the explosion of a Taliban ranger vehicle in this district, which resulted in six fatalities. On the previous day, a Taliban ranger transporting students from a religious school in Dara Noor was targeted in an explosion. ISIS took responsibility for this attack. According to sources, six students aboard the Taliban ranger were killed and five others injured. Reports indicate that the victims were family members of Taliban personnel.
Sources confirm that the attack was orchestrated and executed by ISIS under Musa’s command. Musa, an ISIS leader, is from the village of Shimal in Dara Noor and had joined ISIS before the collapse of the previous government. He has a background in ISIS intelligence operations. Recently, a Taliban spokesperson claimed that the number of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan does not exceed 200. However, sources report that over 200 ISIS operatives are active in Dara Noor alone. Dara Noor holds strategic importance for ISIS. This mountainous region borders Laghman, Kunar, and Nuristan provinces, which is considered the ISIS stronghold in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have repeatedly asserted that they have suppressed ISIS and that no group other than the Taliban operates in Afghanistan. Despite these claims, ISIS has been responsible for numerous bloody attacks across Afghanistan over the past three years. Reliable reports indicate that ISIS, much like the Taliban of yesterday and today, has simply changed its flag from white to black. The leaders and commanders of ISIS are primarily Pashtun and from the southern regions of the country, similar to the Taliban. Nevertheless, the Taliban have been known to detain and torture political, military, and ethnic opponents under the pretext of ISIS affiliation.
