Daesh attacks kill five Taliban senior Taliban officials in three years

Daesh attacks kill five Taliban senior Taliban officials in three years

Attacks by Daesh’s Khorasan branch, (ISIS-K) have killed at least five senior Taliban officials and two pro-Taliban clerics over the past three years.

Despite the Taliban’s claims of suppressing ISIS-K and improving national security, the killings of senior officials, including Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister for Refugees, and two provincial governors, have highlighted persistent threats.

The victims of ISIS-K attacks since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021 include:

Khalil Rahman Haqqani, acting Taliban Minister for Refugees and senior Haqqani network figure.
Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, Taliban Governor of Balkh Province.
Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, Acting Governor of Badakhshan Province.
Safi Sameem, former Taliban Police Commander in Baghlan Province.
Hamidullah Noorzi, a senior Taliban commander.
In addition, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the killings of prominent pro-Taliban clerics Mujib Rahman Ansari, the imam of Gazargah Mosque in Herat, and Rahimullah Haqqani, a religious scholar.

Civilian toll

Afghanistan has also witnessed a surge in ISIS-K attacks targeting civilians, particularly Shia and Hazara communities. These incidents have compounded fears among ordinary Afghans about their safety under Taliban rule.

“Daesh has made us worried in Afghanistan. We don’t know what our future holds. We have no personal security. The Taliban can’t protect their own lives; how can they ensure our safety?” said Sweeta, a Kabul resident.

The Taliban have repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by ISIS-K, with spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claiming that only “one to two percent” of ISIS-K fighters might be hiding in Afghanistan’s mountainous regions.

Acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi once patrolled Kabul on a motorcycle to showcase the Taliban’s purported success in ensuring security. However, such displays have done little to ease public concerns.

While the Taliban have touted improved security, findings based on U.N. reports reveal 361 terror attacks in Afghanistan over the past three years. These include deadly suicide bombings, assassinations, and sectarian violence, much of which has been attributed to ISIS-K.

Source » amu.tv