RASC News Agency: The Taliban have issued a statement claiming to have apprehended a group of individuals affiliated with ISIS during operations in Kabul and Nangarhar. According to the Taliban, these individuals were involved in several attacks, including the assault on tourists in Bamyan and multiple incidents in Kabul. The group further asserts that the leader of these militants is a Tajikistani national who was allegedly preparing for a “suicide attack.” The Taliban also claim that these individuals had come to Afghanistan from training centers in Mastung, Balochistan. The most prominent Tajikistani terrorist group, “Ansarullah,” reportedly operates under the Taliban’s banner, with its military base established in the northeastern provinces of Afghanistan.
In a separate operation in Faryab and Kabul, the Taliban report that two ISIS members were killed and several others arrested, although they have not provided specific details on the number of detainees. This claim follows previous Taliban assertions that ISIS no longer operates in Afghanistan, as they had supposedly eradicated the group, stating that no such organization exists within the country’s borders.
However, ISIS recently took responsibility for an attack in Daikundi province on Thursday September 12, which resulted in the deaths of 14 Afghanistani citizens. While the Taliban attribute the presence of these individuals to infiltration from Balochistan, Pakistani authorities have consistently maintained that terrorist groups, including ISIS, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Al-Qaeda, are operating in Afghanistan under Taliban control.
Previously, regional powers, including Russia, have voiced their concerns about the growing presence and activities of ISIS within Afghanistan.
