KABUL: At least 1,182 civilians have been killed and 2,904 injured in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the south Asian country in 2021, according to United Nations reports.
These reports have also documented 15,865 security-related incidents nationwide during this period. Among these incidents, 361 have been attributed to ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), an extremist group that has escalated its activities under Taliban rule.
ISIS-Khorasan has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks, targeting significant locations such as Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, the Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan military hospital, and several mosques and educational centers. High-profile attacks have hit sites like the Kaj education center, the Bibi Fatima mosque in Kandahar, and the Imam Zaman mosque in Baghlan, resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread fear, even in areas thought to be strongholds of Taliban control.
Despite the threat posed by ISIS-Khorasan, the Taliban has repeatedly denied the group’s presence in Afghanistan. However, the deaths of several high-ranking Taliban officials in attacks claimed by ISIS-K, including Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, Safi Samim, and Daud Muzammil, as well as influential Taliban supporters like Rahimullah Haqqani and Mujib-ur-Rahman Ansari, contradict these denials and highlight the ongoing threat to the Taliban’s leadership.
In addition to ISIS-Khorasan, anti-Taliban groups like the National Resistance Front (NRF), led by Ahmad Massoud, and the Afghanistan Freedom Front, led by Yasin Zia, have been active. The UN has recorded 131 attacks by these opposition groups over the past three years. These groups, along with the Afghan Freedom Movement, have launched targeted operations against Taliban forces in various provinces, seeking to undermine Taliban control.
Afghanistan has also become a haven for various extremist groups. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported on July 31, 2024, that between 6,000 and 6,500 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters are based primarily in Afghanistan’s eastern regions.
ISIS-Khorasan is estimated to have 2,000 to 3,500 fighters, with affiliates pushing the total to approximately 6,000. These groups have exploited Afghanistan’s instability to establish a strong presence, posing a threat to regional and global security.
The UN Security Council’s February 2024 report revealed Al-Qaeda’s resurgence, with eight new training centers established across Afghanistan, including in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, and Uruzgan provinces. A new weapons depot has been built in Panjshir, underscoring Al-Qaeda’s continued influence and operational capacity.
Despite these developments, the Taliban continues to claim they have restored “nationwide security” and insist there is no external threat from Afghan soil. However, the reality on the ground is starkly different. Bismillah Taban, a former military officer, commented, “The Taliban tries to project an image of security, but in reality, groups like ISIS-K are active, and the Taliban themselves are repressive against former security forces and ordinary Afghans. Resistance forces like the NRF and the Afghanistan Freedom Front also continue to carry out significant operations against the Taliban.”
As Afghanistan approaches the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the discrepancy between the Taliban’s claims and the actual situation continues to grow. The international community remains deeply concerned about Afghanistan’s security, fearing that the country could again become a breeding ground for terrorism, threatening both regional stability and global peace.
