Amidst a wave of concerns that the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is gaining firm foothold in Afghanistan, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has declared that the presence of the loyalists to the ISIL is not a significant force. Admitting that the terror group poses threat not only to Afghanistan but also to the entire region, Abdullah said that Afghanistan is determined to deal with the terror group loyalists as the Afghan government continues to work with its international allies to deal with the security challenges. “It [ISIL] is a threat. It is a threat for Afghanistan. It is a threat for region. It is a threat for global peace and Afghanistan is determined to deal with it and at the same time it is not as significant force in Afghanistan as Taliban,” Abdullah is quoted as saying.
This remark by Abdullah comes as the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter warned regarding the emergent threat of the militant group during a surprise visit to Afghanistan in late December 2015, however he said that the threat posed by the terror group is being tracked very closely as they have started creating “little nests” in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell earlier said the loyalists to the militant group are attempting to establish a regional base in Jalalabad, the capital city of eastern Nangarhar province. According to him, the foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq had joined the loyalists to the terror group in eastern Nangarhar province and are trying to consolidate links with the leadership of the militant group based in Syria and Iraq. `
Afghan nation passed a deadly year and scores of civilians and combatants were killed by the Taliban’s spring offensive and suicide bombings.
The Murree peace talk was stalled and the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as Taliban’s leader deteriorated the security situation across the country. Subsequently, tension among the Taliban elements surfaced which led to splinter group. After all, with the emergence of the ISIL militant group in Afghanistan, a number of the Taliban insurgents pledged allegiance with Baghdadi’s caliphate. The ISIL ushered in systematic crimes, such as abducting Afghan travelers, beheading members of ethnic minority group, including women and children, murdering people via placing bombs on their bodies and exploding, etc. Now, there are rumors that the ISIL will intensify its attacks in coming spring and the security will deteriorate in the country. Hence, Afghan government will encounter security crisis from two sides: the Taliban and ISIL militant groups – if the crises remain unaddressed in due time, 2016 will be deadlier, compared to the last year, for the nation.
There is no matter of optimism that the ISIL is not as dangerous as the Taliban militants. Taliban ruled Afghanistan for five years and knows every nooks and crannies in the country and it is more than a decade that the Taliban guerilla fighters carry out terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in our land, whereas the ISIL has emerged no more than a year ago. Hence, it would be highly surprising if this emerging group changed into puissant force, the same as the Taliban, overnight. Rather than inculcating people with false hope, the officials will have to counter insurgency with strong determination and combat ISIL group with all its force so as to prevent it from gaining firm foothold in the country. It should be noted that if ISIL succeeds to form connection with the leadership in Iraq and Syria, dismantling this terrorist network will be near to impossible in Afghanistan.
The resumption of peace talk between Afghanistan and the Taliban is again in the limelight. US, China and Pakistan seek to play mediatory role in reconciliation process. “The first option is peace and the second option is terror and horror. Those who choose the first option we are ready to talk with them but those who select the second option then we have already responded to them and we will respond to them in the future as well,” said president’s deputy spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi.
In addition, Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) is also optimistic about the resumption of peace negotiation and said that the Taliban splinter group under the leadership of Mullah Rasoul had shown interest in the peace talks.
“The Taliban’s splinter group under the leadership of Mullah Rasoul has announced that they are ready for peace talks. However our position is that if the opposition speaks from one address it is good and if any group is ready for peace the government is ready to talk with that group,” Shahzada Shahid HPC spokesman is cited as saying. According to him, “If talks are not held with the Taliban and peace is not secured, ISIL will start its attack with much intensity and not only will Afghanistan suffer but regional countries and the world will be affected by it.”
A peaceful Afghanistan is of high significance for the region and vice versa. Therefore, the entire region is needed to play its part for a stable Afghanistan. Since, the ISIL militants talk with the barrel of gun, only military deal will come to fruition. However, Afghan officials have already left two choices for the Taliban elements: “The first option is peace and the second option is terror and horror” and it is they to choose one.