Despite rivalries between the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda network, Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian doctor who replaced Osama bin Laden as the head of al Qaeda four years ago, suggested in an audio message that there may be some room for cooperation between the two groups when it came to combating the West. “Despite the big mistakes (of Islamic State), if I were in Iraq or Syria I would cooperate with them in killing the crusaders and secularists… even though I don’t recognize the legitimacy of their state, because the matter is bigger than that,” Zawahiri is quoted as saying.
Contrary to suggesting cooperation to fight the West, he accused ISIS top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of “sedition” and insisted the Iraqi terrorist recluse was not the leader of all Muslims and militant jihad as “caliph” of the Islamic State, as al-Baghdadi had claimed 14 months ago in a Mosul mosque.
The ideological conflicts have triggered a split between the two militant organizations. With the emergence of the ISIS, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri refused to pledge allegiance to the ISIS group on the grounds of its highly fundamental practices – which apparently outweighed al-Qaeda’s acts of terror. He called Baghdadi’s caliphate illegitimate and prevented his men of swearing allegiance to him.
The ISIS’s super fundamentalism is also a bone of contention between ISIS and the Taliban outfits. In other words, their ideological differences sparked skirmish between the two militant groups in some restive parts of the country. Apparently, Jihad-e Nikah and systematic sexual harassments – which are perpetrated by ISIS in Iraq and Syria – are against the Taliban’s tenets.
In spite of the mentioned facts, some Taliban hardliners have pledged support to Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan and Pakistan and changed their white banner into black one. As a result, Janan Mosazai, Afghan ambassador in Pakistan, said the militants of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are shifting over to the IS group. “An example of this is the attempt by some former TTP militants to infiltrate into Nangarhar province and switch over to the black flag or Daesh, which we have been containing,” said Mosazai. He added that the terror group was spreading “its propaganda and obscurantist worldview” also in Pakistan, similar as other parts of the world. Hence, the IS’s infiltration in the Taliban’s faction has divided them into two opposing categories: the faithful Taliban and the converted ones. Both the ideologue groups share common goal i.e. claim to establish the divine government on the surface of earth, but in different manners. The second dissimilarity is that the legitimate “caliph” for IS and their followers are Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. What about the Taliban’s current legitimate caliph?
A wide gap has appeared between the Taliban militants after the death of their charismatic leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. A group of Taliban’s council appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansour as Omar’s successor and pronounced him the Taliban’s legitimate leader. Ayman al-Zawahiri also pledged allegiance to him. However, Omar’s family, including his son Mullah Yaqub and his brother Mullah Manan, opposed his appointment – this led to serious dispute among the Taliban. The disagreement between Mansour and Manan’s followers is likely to grow hot and hotter with each passing day.
Reports say that in recent weeks, Mansour sent Mullah Jalil, an envoy with good contacts with the Taliban’s political leadership, to persuade senior members based in the Middle East to publicly support him instead of a rival faction coalescing around Omar’s brother and son.
According to Reuters, one Taliban source said the leadership in the Middle East had been planning to split from Mansour because they feared he was too close to Pakistani intelligence.
“Some senior members of the group such as Tayyab Agha and Mullah Hasan Rahmani … feel threatened in Pakistan,” the source said. “Mullah Mansour is sending a delegation headed by Mullah Jalil to hold talks with them and convince them to pledge allegiance.”
Taliban commanders opposing Mansour say he is using threats and incentives to strengthen his position. “Mullah Mansour offered (his opponents) top responsibilities in the Islamic Emirate and huge financial assistance if they pledged allegiance to him, but they rejected all these offers,” a senior member of the anti-Mansour faction has said.
Mullah Dadullah, a battlefield commander leading a breakaway faction of the Taliban, accused Mansour of sending fighters to seize territory from his men in Zabul province last month.
“Taliban, with 50 motorcycles, raided our centers and residential areas during the night late in August and tried to establish check points,” a furious Dadullah said in a video published last week. “We are trying to solve the problem through the mediation of the Ulema (council) of elders. They may force us to an armed defense,” he said.
The ideological differences have led to internal conflicts among the warring parties in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Similarly, the IS has been changed into a serious threat for the Taliban’s political interests in the country. It is believed that this conflict provides a golden chance for the Afghan-Pak officials to make use of their weak points and compound their anti-terror combats. If terrorism does not be curbed in this sensitive time, it will change into a great menace for both Pakistan and Afghanistan. For instance, if al-Qaeda and IS and some Taliban militants join forces, the security situation will be deteriorated more than ever before. The Terrorist networks should not be let stand united.