Terrorist cells proliferate in Afghanistan
The bleak situation in Afghanistan is worsening as each day passes. The disastrous Doha agreement of 2020 and the catastrophic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces in August 2021 have caused Afghanistan to become a hub and haven for international terrorism once again.
Under the tyranny of the Taliban, Afghanistan has become a country where women, who make up half of the population, are deprived of having a public life, where religious groups and many ethnic groups are oppressed, and where foreign terrorists are welcomed and embraced.
Since August 2021, more than 20 terrorist groups have set up bases in Afghanistan. Thousands of fighters from all over South, Central and Western Asia have flooded the country. The Taliban — contrary to their fictitious narrative that they had severed all ties with terrorist groups, especially al Qaeda — have embraced these new guests, hosting Ayman al-Zawahiri in their guesthouse a mile from the former presidential palace in Kabul until he was killed in a drone strike last July.
The Taliban have distributed billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, equipment and munitions to groups who threaten the Central Asian republics — some of which were left by the United States during the withdrawal. They have allowed their Pakistani offshoot, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, to attack Pakistan’s military. Moreover, the Taliban have been distributing passports and identification cards to these foreign terrorists to infiltrate other countries in the future.
After a year and a half, the Taliban have shown no willingness to sever their ties with terrorism. As each day passes, the domestic security situation is worsening as the Taliban allow the proliferation of violent regional terrorist groups. They are mired in internal conflict, with opposing factions competing for power and resources. Taliban leaders in Kabul and Kandahar are drifting away from one another, effectively initiating the Taliban’s disintegration into hostile regional factions. Power vacuums will develop throughout the country as the Taliban weaken.
The coming voids will further strengthen terrorist organizations, allowing these groups to threaten global security. We are seeing this already, as the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, known as ISIS-K, has vastly improved its capabilities and recruitment. In the past year, ISIS has acquired an abundance of wealth in a country plagued with poverty and has recruited from the population with its newfound resources. They have embraced many of the regional terrorist groups into their orbit and have increased their propaganda in local, regional and international languages, including English and Arabic.
ISIS-K has also found a new pool of recruits — former Afghanistan National Security Forces, especially the commandos, who were trained, advised and funded by the United States for 20 years. The group is offering protection for them and their families, while the Taliban continue to target them following the U.S. withdrawal. In February, a former ANSF commando was arrested in Pakistan for being part of an ISIS-K cell.
Most concerning is the infiltration and influence of ISIS within Taliban ranks. ISIS-K has shown its ability to recruit and appeal to the Taliban rank and file. They have portrayed themselves as loyal jihadists who have not betrayed the cause and are able to provide pay and support.
As the Taliban fractures, ISIS-K will be the main group to absorb the disgruntled Taliban factions. Furthermore, it has shown its ability to infiltrate the higher echelons of the Taliban’s organization. Recent ISIS-K operations, such as the bombing in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kabul and the assassination of the Taliban governor in Balkh province, clearly demonstrate they have infiltrated the Taliban’s intelligence and military apparatus.
The threat of ISIS-K is growing and will threaten global stability sooner than anticipated. Lt. Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of Central Command, testified that ISIS-K will be able to attack U.S. assets and Europe within six months. This is not a threat to be ignored. Past is prologue — the last time terror groups had freedom of movement in Afghanistan, al Qaeda planned and executed the largest attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor.
At the moment, the only opposition to the Taliban and extremist groups operating in Afghanistan is the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud. The NRF is the last remaining force fighting for democratic values in Afghanistan, and it is made up of the remnants of Afghanistan’s ANSF. They have been fighting without any external support since August 2021 yet have managed to sustain their forces and expand to neighboring regions.
The NRF has proved their determination and competence on the battlefield, and they are the only ones who can combat terrorism on the ground in Afghanistan. Their vision is for a democratic Afghanistan where all citizens will enjoy equal rights, regardless of gender, religious beliefs or ethnicity.
But while the NRF has remained unsupported for the past year and a half, the Taliban have received hundreds of millions of dollars in the name of humanitarian aid and counterterrorism from the United States. With minimal support, the National Resistance Front can prepare itself militarily and politically to shape Afghanistan’s future by filling power vacuums and preventing the rise of ISIS. With the help of the Special Operations Association of America, the NRF will aggressively advocate policy shifts focused on opposing the current Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
The situation in Afghanistan must not be ignored. The United States entered Afghanistan to prevent it from becoming a haven for al Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist groups. Yet terrorism is stronger in Afghanistan today than it was in September 2001. The Taliban are more aligned with global jihadism than they were two decades ago.
The current administration cannot afford to continue this bystander approach; to do so would be to have learned nothing from the last 20 years and doom us to repeat it all over again. Terror groups are engulfing Afghanistan. We cannot stand by as the advantage goes to the very groups that facilitated the September 2001 attacks on the United States.
Source » washingtontimes
