The Taliban have repeatedly denied the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan, labeling it as propaganda from their enemies. However, findings from the Hasht-e Subh Daily indicate that, in the past 40 days, ISIS has killed 18 individuals in attacks in Ghor province, including four Taliban members.
The report reveals that over the past month, 18 people have died in attacks attributed to ISIS in Ghor, among whom four Taliban members were also killed. This occurs despite the Taliban’s ongoing denials of ISIS’s presence in Afghanistan.
According to the report, on September 12, 2024, ISIS shot 13 Hazara individuals from the village of Qariodal in Daykundi and one resident of Ghor in the border area between Daykundi and Ghor, injuring six others. This attack provoked widespread reactions, prompting condemnation from the Taliban.
Additionally, on October 12, ISIS announced that it had shot three Taliban fighters in the “Shah Tigh” area along the route from the Charsada district of Herat Province to Firozkoh City in Ghor Province. The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan also claimed responsibility for this attack.
Following this, ISIS released details about the individuals shot in the “Shah Tigh” area through its affiliated Telegram channel. ISIS published images of the identity card, cash, and weapon belonging to a Taliban fighter named Abdul Hamid, a member of the Taliban Intelligence Directorate for Panjshir Province.
In the latest incident, fighters from ISIS and the Taliban clashed in the “Narkoh/Nurkoh” area of Firozkoh, resulting in the deaths of a key Taliban intelligence member and two ISIS members. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, confirmed this clash and claimed they had destroyed an important ISIS center, which, according to him, was being directed from Balochistan, Pakistan.
After the deaths of three Taliban members in Ghor, the Hasht-e Subh Daily obtained images and audio recordings from the Taliban intelligence department, identifying ISIS as responsible for the deaths of their fighters. The Taliban’s intelligence directorate in Ghor sent images to checkpoints and district intelligence management, stating that an ISIS member was heading toward the Dawlat Yar district and requesting the Taliban’s attention to this matter. Just a day after this report, sources indicated a clash between the Taliban and ISIS members in the “Ghaarak Narkuh” area of Firozkoh, the provincial capital of Ghor.
An informed source stated that, following the presence of ISIS in Ghor, a unit from the Taliban’s 040 Intelligence Directorate arrived in Ghor to conduct operations. Around 5:30 PM on October 13, these forces engaged in a clash in the “Ghaarak Narkuh” area. Reports suggest that a key member of the Taliban’s General Intelligence Directorate, known as Saifullah Saeed, also referred to as Jawad Allahbadr, was killed in this confrontation.
Previously, the Taliban had claimed that ISIS did not exist in Afghanistan and that they had succeeded in eliminating some of the group’s fighters present in the country. Furthermore, the Hasht-e Subh Daily’s investigative report revealed that the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan has incorporated a significant number of foreign fighters alongside local combatants into its ranks. The Lajna Council of ISKP makes decisions and evaluates the directives of its leader.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
در ۴۰ روز دستکم ۱۸ تن در حملات منسوب به داعش در غور کشته شدند | روزنامه ۸صبح
