Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, has accused the United States of spreading propaganda in favor of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan.
Mujahid criticized US officials who have recently made statements about the presence and capabilities of ISKP in Afghanistan. He wrote on twitter today that such statements are baseless and do not corresponds to reality. He claimed that the Taliban has successfully suppressed the ISKP in Afghanistan, according to him the ISKP has become much smaller group than it was in the past.
“The statements of US officials about the number of ISIS in Afghanistan are not true. Daesh militants have already been reduced in ranks and suppressed.” Mujahid wrote today. “The interest of the US officials in this matter and their grandiosity is aiding and abetting the ISIS insurgents, which should be stopped.” He added.
This claim comes after the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East, General Michael Kurilla warned on Thursday (March 16) that ISIS affiliate network in Afghanistan (ISIS-K) could potentially launch attacks against USA and western interest within six months.
Despite the claims by Taliban officials, ISKP has taken responsibility for multiple deadly attacks in Kabul, Herat, and Balkh provinces. Among the targets of these attacks were Mohammad Dawood Muzmel, the Taliban’s governor for Balkh province, and a group of journalists in Mazar-i-Sharif.
On February, a senior Russian general claimed that ISKP had grown to 6,500 members in Afghanistan, with 4,000 being active along Tajikistan’s southern borders in Badakhshan, Kunduz and Takhar provinces.
