KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Ghor province, central Afghanistan, reported that the Taliban has killed two of its fighters over alleged links with ISIS-K, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS).
The sources identified one of the executed individuals as Abdul Hamid. Both were members of the Taliban and were killed in Firuz Koh district on Thursday night, November 7.
The two men, sources explained, went into hiding after a Tajikistani ISIS-K member was reported in the area and were found during a house-to-house search.
According to the sources, following the recent deadly ISIS attack on Hazaras in the area, the Taliban forces detained several individuals and conducted a house-to-house search for ISIS-K members.
The local Taliban authorities have not yet confirmed the incident.
Despite the Taliban’s attempts to downplay ISIS-K presence and attacks in Afghanistan, the terror group has reportedly expanded its influence in the country, including in Ghor province.
On September 12, ISIS-K militants targeted vehicles belonging to Hazaras in the border region between Ghor and Daikundi provinces, killing and injuring at least 20 people.
Following the incident, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, announced that the group’s intelligence forces had attacked an ISIS-K hideout in Ghor, killing a leader and a senior member.
In recent years, ISKP has carried out major and horrific attacks on schools, hospitals, public transportation, mosques, and gyms, specifically targeting the Hazara community and other Shia populations.
In its quarterly report released last month, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that in the past three months, at least 28 civilians were killed and 50 others were injured in ISIS-K attacks across Afghanistan.
While the Taliban claims to have suppressed ISIS-K and assures the regional and international community that Afghanistan no longer poses a threat, a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reveals that the regime is unable to effectively counter the group or prevent it from launching attacks beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
The Washington-based think tank noted in its report that ISIS-K has successfully infiltrated the Taliban’s security forces, weakening the regime’s ability to effectively counter the terrorist group.
