Despite a slowdown in the activities of the affiliates of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan, a newly-recorded audio has emerged online claiming to belong to a commander of the group’s Khurasan province.

The speaker who has been identified as Sheikh Jalaluddin claims he is a commander of the Islamic State Wilayat Khurasan (Khurasan province).

Sheikh Jalaluddin claims that the group started war against the US, Europe, Afghan and Pakistani governments and said the ISIS affiliates were not the ones who started clash with the Taliban group in Afghanistan.

Giving the examples of inter-Muslims fighting in the 7th century, Sheikh Jalaluddin claimed that the group has basis to fight against the Taliban militants, calling them puppets of Pakistan’s military intelligence – Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and apostate of Iran.

In parts of his provocative speech Sheikh Jalaluddin called on Sunni Muslims to stand against the Shia Iran, accusing it of supporting certain Taliban elements to eliminate the ISIS affiliates.

Although, the authenticity of the audio could not be ascertained, what makes it interesting is the accent of the speaker who use the same accent widely used in tribal regions of Pakistan and in the areas where Pashtu is mostly spoken.

Using the words such “Soch” meaning think in Urdu and “hospital” a term widely used in Urdu language and numerous others terms, further supports the statement by the Taliban that mostly Pakistani nationals are fighting for the ISIS terror group in Afghanistan.

“People under the name of Daesh are currently only operating in one or two districts of Nangarhar who are mostly Pakistani nationals with a very small number of young locals,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujaihid said.

He also ruled out that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) terrorist group is based in Afghanistan, insisting that the militant groups are fighting under the flag and policy of Taliban in Afghanistan.

The remarks by Mujahid comes amid growing concerns that the ISIS affiliates are looking to gain foothold in Afghanistan.

Although, the ISIS affiliates received major blows following a series of deadly drone strikes in eastern Nangarhar province during the recent months, incurring casualties to the group’s top leaders.

However, there are concerns regarding the activities of the brutal Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) terrorist group in the country, particularly in northern parts of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) declared as a terrorist organization by the United States declared it is now part of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

The group recently released a video which purportedly shows the group’s leader Usmon Ghazi and his fighters taking oath of allegiance to ISIS terror group and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The allegiance by IMU to ISIS terrorist group was followed almost two weeks after the death of the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar was confirmed.

IMU issued a statement earlier this month demanding clarification from the Taliban regarding Mullah Omar’s death while accusing the group lying his death.

http://www.khaama.com/isis-in-afghanistan-nothing-but-a-movement-formed-by-pakistani-militants-1453

The Islamic State group commonly known as Daesh had ambitious plans for Afghanistan, but Taliban resistance, US drone strikes, and a society less scarred by sectarianism mean the extremists have so far failed to repeat their Middle Eastern breakthrough.

The group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has been trying for months to establish itself in Afghanistan´s eastern badlands, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

Its franchise in the war-torn country has managed to recruit disaffected Taliban fighters, as the fractious Afghan militant movement wrestles with a bitter power transition.

But the loss of senior commanders in drone strikes and the group´s signature brutality, which repels many Afghans, has helped stem its advance.

Frequent clashes and firefights with Taliban insurgents have also hampered its bid to capture significant territory.

“In Iraq and Syria, you might say (IS) are in stage six or seven or eight,” top US military officer General Martin Dempsey said last month.

“In Libya, they are in stage three or four, and in Afghanistan they are in stage one or two.”

His views are echoed by other NATO officials who say that IS in Afghanistan are not yet capable of carrying out the sort of coordinated operations they are conducting in Iraq and Syria, although the potential exists for them to evolve into a bigger threat.

Some Taliban insurgents, particularly in the restive eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, have adopted the Daesh flag to rebrand themselves as a more lethal force as NATO troops depart after 14 years of war.

The risk of defections grew after the July announcement of Mullah Omar´s demise, with many angry Taliban fighters accusing the leadership of covering up the supremo´s death for two years.

Some top cadres including Omar´s son and brother have refused to pledge allegiance to new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, saying the process to select him was rushed and even biased.

“The Taliban have no redeeming features,” said Mullah Mirwaïs, a former Taliban militant who is now a Daesh commander in the Kajaki district in the southern province of Helmand.

Michael Kugelman, Afghanistan expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said Daesh is “flavour of the month right now. It has a dramatic appeal to a lot of alienated militants.”

But the Taliban are attempting to counter that, with an aggressive drive north from their southern and eastern strongholds, as well as a wave of fatal bombings in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Experts say the escalating violence demonstrates Mullah Mansour´s bid to boost his image within the Taliban, which could halt the defections to Daesh.

“The Taliban remain a formidable fighting force. It´s in a position to fight back and push back against Daesh inroads,” Kugelman said.

“The Taliban has been able to keep IS at bay in eastern Afghanistan.”

US drone strikes in recent weeks have also dealt a significant blow to Daesh in Afghanistan, killing dozens of suspected cadres, including the group´s regional chief Hafiz Saeed.

NATO spokesman Colonel Brian Tribus said Daesh is an “operationally emergent” group but the Taliban pose a “greater threat” to the Afghan government and foreign forces.

Crucially, beyond the battlefield the Taliban have been far more successful than Daesh in attracting the support of local Afghans.

“Daesh militants are cruel — they kill without reason,” explained a resident of the volatile district of Achin in eastern Nangarhar province.

The Taliban, who have themselves often been accused of savagery during their 14-year insurgency, are seeking to appear as a bulwark against Daesh´s rein of brutality and as a legitimate group waging war.

Earlier this month the Taliban condemned a “horrific” video that apparently showed Daesh fighters blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives.

“This un-Islamic act… can never be justified,” the Taliban said.

One other reason Daesh have struggled to gain a firmer foothold in Afghanistan, Kugelman said, is because of the lack of a deeply sectarian environment.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-195599-Daesh-struggle-to-make-progress-in-Taliban-bastion-Afghanistan

Amid growing rift among the Taliban leadership regarding the appoint of the group’s new leader, reports have emerged from southern Zabul province regarding preparation for a major clash between rival groups.

Mullah Akhtar Mansoor who was appointed as the new leader of Taliban has reportedly deployed around 600 armed militants Khak-e-Afghan area to fight with the militants of Mullah Mansoor Dadullah.

Reports regarding the possible outbreak of a major clash between Mullah Mansoor and Mullah Dadullah have been confirmed by local residents have who are witnessing growing deployment of militants in Khak-e-Afghan.

This comes as Mansoor Dadullah warned of further divisions among the Taliban militants earlier this month while expressing his deep opposition with the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as successor of Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Dadullah called on immediate actions to appoint a new supreme leader for the Taliban group who should be acceptable for all.

He announced his support to Mullah Omar’s son Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and called the tensions among the Taliban leaders at all-time high.

Dadullah also confirmed that Mullah Omar did not die naturally but was assassinated, confirming the reports suggesting Mullah Omar was mysteriously killed in April 2013 in a hospital in Karachi city of Pakistan.

Mansoor Dadullah is the brother of the former senior Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah who was actively operating in southern Helmand province before he was killed during an operation in Helmand province in 2007.

http://www.khaama.com/mullah-mansoor-deployed-600-militants-to-fight-mullah-dadullah-in-zabul-1441

http://www.sada-e-azadi.net/index.php/en/afghanistan/35-afghanistan/13010-30-armed-insurgents-killed-in-security-operations

http://www.sada-e-azadi.net/index.php/en/afghanistan/capital/13012-us-declares-haqqani-leader-a-terrorist

Four Pakistani soldiers have been killed and four others wounded in a rocket attack in the tribal area of Khyber Agency, bordering Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

“Four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and four others were injured due to rocket fire,” a statement issued by Pakistani military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) states.

According to the statement several rockets landed on a security post in Akhandwala Pass on Sunday, the press release claims they were fired from the Afghan side of the border.

“According to reports, rounds fired from Afghanistan side opposite Khyber Agency by terrorists hit a 8,000 feet high Pakistani post in Akhandwala Pass,”

The statement further states that Pakistani soldiers also responded to the attack.

“Pakistani troops befittingly responded and eliminated the group of terrorists,” the statement adds.

Afghan government has not yet commented on the report.

A Taliban ambush on Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum’s convoy backfired on Friday when the war-hardened leader’s men fought back, killing at least four militants and capturing a dozen more on a remote highway.

Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek who led a personal army fighting the Taliban regime before the 2001 US military intervention and who is accused by rights groups of involvement in war crimes, joined the political mainstream last year as President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate.

He traded the new suit for a military uniform last month to accompany the army and armed villagers fighting an offensive by the hardliners in his northern heartland.

Dostum’s armoured vehicle was moving in a convoy along a remote highway in the province of Faryab when 20 militants opened fire, said police chief Subhan Qul, who was in the convoy. Dostum’s vehicle was hit several times by shots in the gunfight that followed, Afghan media reported.

“As a result of almost three hours of fighting at least four Taliban are killed and 13 are captured alive,” an official from Dostum’s media office said. Earlier a spokesman said eight militants died. There were no initial reports of casualties among the security forces.

Afghan forces are largely fighting the Taliban alone for the first time this year after all but a rump of foreign coalition soldiers left the country last year.