ISIL–Taliban conflict

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ISIL–Taliban conflict
Part of the continuous Afghanistan conflict
Date2 February 2015 — present
(6 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Afghanistan
Status

Ongoing

  • Taliban victories in the battles of Darzab and Nangarhar[15]
  • Collapse of IS stronghold in eastern Afghanistan in 2019[16]
Belligerents
Afghanistan Taliban
Haqqani network[1]
Supported by:
 United States[2][3][4][5]
 Iran (alleged)[6][7]
 Pakistan (alleged)[8]
 Russia (alleged)[9]

Islamic State – Khorasan Province
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Mullah Dadullah Front[10]
Fidai Mahaz[11]
High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[12]

Supported by:
Afghanistan (allegedly, only to High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan until 2021)[13][14]
Commanders and leaders
Afghanistan Hibatullah Akhundzada
Afghanistan Mohammad Hassan Akhund[17]
Afghanistan Abdul Ghani Baradar[17]
Afghanistan Abdul Salam Hanafi[17]
Afghanistan Mohammad Yaqoob Umar[17]
Afghanistan Qari Fasihuddin
Afghanistan Sirajuddin Haqqani[17]
Afghanistan Abdul Haq Wasiq[17]
Afghanistan Haji Nasarv
Afghanistan Neda Mohammad[18]
Formerly:
Akhtar Mansour †
Abdul Ghani †[19]		 Shahab al-Muhajir[20]
Najibullah
Muhammad Rasul
Formerly:
Hafiz Saeed Khan †
Abdul Rauf Aliza †
Nematullah Qaweem Surrendered
Qari Hekmat †
Farooq Bengalzai †[21]
Mansoor Dadullah †[22]
Abdul Manan Niazi †[23]
Units involved

Taliban forces

  • Pro-Taliban militia
  • Red Unit

Islamic State – Khorasan Province forces

  • Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
  • Taliban defectors
Mullah Dadullah Front forces
High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan forces
Strength
Taliban:
1,000 special forces (as of 2015)[24]
75,000 (as of 2021)[25]		 Islamic State – Khorasan Province:
3,000-4,000 (as of 2016)[26]
1,500–2,200 (as of 2021)[25]
High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan:
3,000-3,500[27]
Casualties and losses
1,547 overall deaths according to Uppsala Conflict Data Program[28]

The ISIL–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Taliban and the Islamic State's Khorasan branch (ISIL-K). The conflict escalated when militants affiliated with ISIS-K killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015.[19] Since then, Taliban and ISIL-K have engaged in bloody clashes against each other over the control of territory, mostly in eastern Afghanistan but also by cells in the north-west and south-west.

The Haqqani network supports the Taliban, while IS is supported by High Council of Afghanistan Emirate,[29][30] Mullah Dadullah Front and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Background[]

During the Taliban insurgency, in January 2015, the ISIL established itself in Khorasan and formed their branch ISIL-K.[31] The main objective of ISIL-K was to occupy the land of Khorasan, that includes the country of Afghanistan.[32]

Timeline[]

2015[]

On 2 February, militants affiliated with ISIS-K killed Abdul Ghani, a Taliban commander, in Logar province.[19]

On 26 May, Asif Nang, governor of Farah province, said the Taliban have been fighting against ISIS militants for the past three days in Farah province. The clash left 10 Taliban and 15 ISIS militants dead.[33]

In May, ISIS-K militants captured Maulvi Abbas, a Taliban commander who was leading a small squad of insurgent fighters in Nangarhar province.[34]

In June, ISIS-K militants beheaded 10 Taliban fighters who were fleeing an Afghan military offensive according to a spokesman of Afghan army corps responsible for the region.[34]

On 9 November, fighting had broken out between different Taliban factions in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. Fighters loyal to the new Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour began to fight a pro-ISIL faction, led by Mullah Mansoor Dadullah. According to Afghan security and local officials, Akhtar Mansour had sent as many as 450 Taliban fighters to crush Mullah Mansoor and Islamic State elements in Zabul.[10] Dadullah's faction received support from IS during the clashes, and IS fighters also joined in on the fighting alongside Dadullah, including foreign fighters from Chechnya and Uzbekistan. Dadullah and IS were eventually defeated by Mansour's forces.[35] Hajji Momand Nasratyar, the district governor of Arghandab, said the fighting took place in three districts of Zabul province and 86 IS militants and 26 Taliban fighters were killed in the clash. Taliban also reported to have killed several IS militants who were responsible for beheading of seven Hazara civilians a few days back.[10]

Hajji Atta Jan, the Zabul provincial council chief, said the offensive by Mullah Mansour's fighters was so intense, that at least three Islamic State commanders, all of them ethnic Uzbeks, had surrendered. They were also asking others IS militants to do the same.[10] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, while quoting sources from Southern Afghanistan, reported that some 70 IS militants were also captured in the clash by the Taliban.[36]

On 13 November, Ghulam Jelani Farahi, an Afghan police chief, said that Mullah Mansoor Dadullah was killed in a clash with Taliban.[22]

2016[]

In January, hundreds of Taliban fighters launched an assault against ISIS bases in eastern Afghanistan. Taliban fighters were successful in capturing two districts from ISIS in eastern Afghanistan, but it failed to drive the group out of their stronghold in the Nazyan district in Nangarhar province.[37] Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that 26 ISIS militants and 5 Taliban fighters were killed in the clashes in Nangarhar.[38]

On 2 February, US carried out airstrikes targeting ISIS radio station in eastern Afghanistan. The strike destroyed the radio station and killed 29 ISIS militants.[39]

In March, Taliban factions led by Muhammad Rasul and opposed to Mansoor, began to fight against his loyalists in the group. During the fighting, dozens were reported killed.[30]

On 26 April, Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal, a provincial police spokesman, said that 10 ISIS militants, including an ISIS commander, and 6 Taliban fighters were killed in a clash in Nangarhar. 15 ISIS militants and 4 Taliban fighters were also wounded during the same clash according to the spokesman.[40]

On 19 May, local government officials reported that a clash took place between ISIS and Taliban in Achin and Khogyani district of Nangarhar province. 15 ISIS militants and 3 Taliban fighters were killed in Achin district, and the remaining were killed in Khogyani. 4 Taliban commanders were also among the dead.[41]

On 13 August, US defence officials said that ISIS's top leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan, was killed in a drone strike on 26 July in Nangarhar province.[42]

On 30 October, Ajmal Zahid, a governor of Golestan district, said that ISIS's commander, Abdul Razaq Mehdi, was killed by Taliban fighters in Farah province.[43]

2017[]

On 26 April, a fight occurred after ISIL captured 3 drug dealers who were involved in selling opium for the Taliban in Jowzjan Province. An Afghan National Police spokesman stated that the Taliban attacked ISIL in response, saying "The clashes erupted when group of armed Taliban attacked Daesh militants [to secure] the release of 3 drug smugglers who came here to pay 10 million afghanis [$14,780] to the Taliban for a deal." The Taliban's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid had also confirmed clashes were ongoing with ISIL at the time ,without providing details on the nature of the fight or reasons.[44] Mohammad Reza Ghafori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that the clashes between Taliban and ISIS-K had left 76 Taliban and 15 IS militants dead. IS militants also seized 2 districts from the Taliban, according to the spokesman.[45]

On 24 May, a clash between the Taliban and IS occurred, and at that time, it had reportedly been the largest clash between the two with 22 casualties, 13 of which were IS fighters, and 9 Taliban fighters, according to a Taliban official. The clashes occurred near Iran's border with Afghanistan. The Taliban had attacked an IS camp in the area, an IS commander, who was formerly a Taliban member, said that there was an agreement between the Taliban and IS not to attack each other until there was a dialogue. The commander claimed that the Taliban had violated the agreement and attacked the IS camp. The IS commander also claimed the attack was coordinated with the Iranian military, and that there were Iranians filming dead IS fighters. The Taliban splinter faction Fidai Mahaz has also criticized the Taliban for its relationship with Iran. Days before the battle, the Taliban reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss regional issues. A spokesman for Fidai Mahaz claimed the meeting was held at the request of the Taliban, as it was weary of the expansion of IS in the country, which also concerned the Iranian government. The spokesman also said that the Taliban received US$3 million in cash, 3,000 arms, 40 trucks, and the ammunition from Iran's intelligence services, in order to fight IS near the Iranian border, although a Taliban spokesman denied the allegations.[46][47]

On 27 November, Taliban executed one of its senior commander for colluding with the ISIS. A week before, ISIS fighters were mass executed by their fellow militants in Achin district, according to a provincial government spokesman. However, the spokesman did not provide any additional detail, and neither did ISIS release any official statement on killing its own members.[48]

2018[]

Further information: Battle of Darzab (2018)
Islamic State fighters who have surrendered after the Battle of Darzab.

On 20 June, after the talks between the Russian government and the Taliban, US assistant secretary of state Alice Wells condemned the Russian government's position on the Taliban that included backing for the group against IS, stating it gave the Taliban legitimacy and challenged the recognized Afghan government.[49]

In July, the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province. According to a surrendered IS commander, the Taliban had amassed 2,000 fighters for the offensive against IS. The fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who had sworn allegiance to ISIL, were also present fighting alongside IS against the Taliban. During the fighting, 3,500 to 7,000 civilians were displaced. By the end of July, IS's hold in the region was reduced to 2 villages, all thanks to the Taliban's campaign. In response, they requested support from the Afghan government, and also agreed to put down their arms in exchange for protection from the Taliban. The Afghan Air Force later carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in exchange for IS's surrender in the region. The agreement between the Afghan government and IS created controversy afterwards.[50][51] On 17 July, ISIS militants killed 15 Taliban militants and injured 5 others during a raid on a house belonging to a Taliban commander in Sar-e Pol. Abdul Qayuom Baqizoi, the police chief of Sar-e Pol, told Associated Press that Taliban and ISIS fighters have been fighting each other in Jowzjan and Sar-e Pol for more than two months, killing hundreds on both sides.[52]

In August, during the negotiations between the US government and the Taliban in Doha, the Taliban had requested that the US ends airstrikes on the Taliban, as well as provide support to the group in order to fight IS.[53]

2019[]

On 22 June, clashes were reported in Kunar between the Taliban and IS, by an Afghan government official. The official also claimed that the Afghan military had killed some IS fighters in the area, and that the Taliban was active in the area as well.[54]

On 29 June, IS released photos of weapons captured from the Taliban.[55] On the same day, IS published a video of its fighters renewing their Bayah to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the video, fighters criticized the Taliban for engaging in peace talks and called upon Taliban fighters to join IS.[56]

On 1 August, the Amaq News Agency claimed that IS had killed 5 Taliban members during clashes in Kunar.[57]

On 1 October, IS claimed to have killed and wounded 20 Taliban fighters in Tora Bora.[58]

2021[]

Further information: 2021 Kabul airport attack

Following the fall of Kabul, the leaders of the ISIL-K denounced the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.[59]

On 16 August, Taliban reported to have killed around 150 ISIL-K fighters, including its former chief Abu Umar Khurasani, while prisoners were being released from a jail in Kabul.[21] In the month of August, many ISIL-K militants were able to rejoin the ISIL-K ranks because of spree of prison breaks across the country by the Taliban.[21]

On 26 August, a suicide bombing and a mass shooting occurred near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.[60][61][62][63][64] The attack began hours after the United States' State Department told Americans outside the airport to leave due to a terrorist threat.[65] At least 185 people were killed in the attacks, including 13 U.S. service members.[66] The Taliban condemned the attack, saying "evil circles will be strictly stopped".[67] The Taliban later announced that they would take every possible measure to capture ISIL-KP leader Shahab al-Muhajir.[68] The same day, Saifullah Mohammed, Taliban's CID chief, told The Times that they had captured six militants belonging to ISIL-K following a gun battle in western side of Kabul.[69]

On 5 September, an influential Salafi cleric, Mullah Abu Obaidullah Mutawakil, was allegedly killed by the Taliban.[21] The Taliban spokesman, however, denied the Taliban's role in the killing Mutawakil.[70] Mutawakil was an ISIL-K sympathiser and a large number of his students were part of ISIL-K. The Taliban also shut down over three dozen Salafi mosques and religious schools in Afghanistan.[21]

On 6 September, Neda Mohammad, a Taliban governor for Nangarhar province, vowed to continue fighting the ISIL-K militants. Nangarhar province is the stronghold of ISIL-K and governor says that since taking over Nangarhar, his forces had arrested 70-80 suspected militants belonging to ISIL-K in Nangarhar province.[18]

On 8 September, Taliban killed Farooq Bengalzai, an ISIL-K head for a Pakistan's province, in Nimroz, Afghanistan.[21]

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