At least 8 loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in separate airstrikes conducted by the US forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The provincial police commandment said the militants were killed in Haska Mina and Achin districts.

According to the local security officials, at least six of the militants were killed in Kharga area of Haska Mina district while two others were killed in Pekha area of Achin.

The officials further added that the local residents did not suffer any casualties in the airstrikes.

The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

The ISIS loyalists are actively operating in a number of the remote districts of eastern Nangarhar province as they attempt to expand foothold in this province and other parts of the country.

However, they continue to face pressures as the Afghan forces and US forces based in Afghanistan conduct regular operations against the terror group.

The increased raids followed amid concerns that the loyalists of the terror group are attempting to establish the Khurasan Caliphate and turn the province into operational base of the group.

khaama.com

ISIS has resilience beyond the Middle East, and Southeast Asia is one of its new homes

The prolific expansion of the Islamic State (ISIS) in territorial gain and influence since 2014 hinted at an emergent force that might be radically different from its al-Qaeda predecessor. In attempting to explain the modus operandi of ISIS, the concepts of hybrid warfare and grey zone conflict have been useful. A hybrid adversary essentially employs a synergized form of conventional warfare, irregular warfare, and criminal methods to obtain political objectives. Hybrid adversaries operate and thrive in the grey-zone conflict space that spans from proto-state administration to military operations short of high-intensity war.

The hallmark of ISIS that distinguishes it from hybrid state actors, however is its de-territorialized character, which gives the organization a certain resilience. The battles for Palmyra and Ramadi in early 2016 demonstrated that rather than fighting to the death to defend its strongholds, the pragmatism of “trading space for time” is an option for ISIS. Despite the loss of several key towns and cities in both Syria and Iraq, ISIS has demonstrated the ability to put up stiff resistance in strategic locations such as Mosul. More importantly, the recent physical roll-back of ISIS in the Middle East does not necessarily mean that ISIS is a spent force in other regions of the world – particularly in Southeast Asia.

ISIS in the Grey Zones of Southeast Asia

The manifestation of the ISIS threat is more prominent in Southeast Asia than in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Dozens of sailors and tourists have been abducted and held hostage by Abu Sayyaf in the vast porous archipelagic boundaries shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas. The death of kidnap kingpin Abraham Hamid in December 2016 highlights one such manifestation in Southeast Asia, the kidnap-for-ransom grey zone where criminals and ISIS affiliates intertwine. It is in such poorly governed grey zones that ISIS and its Southeast Asian affiliates would seek to exploit and expand both its influence and physical presence.

ISIS affiliates in Southeast Asia will increasingly exemplify traits of a hybrid organization as fighters return to the region and bolster existing regional organizations. Up to 700 Indonesian and Malaysians have traveled to Syria and Iraq, fighting together in a designated Southeast Asian combat unit, Katibah Nusantara. An influx of returning battle-hardened fighters and their foreign comrades not only brings renewed tactics and organizational capabilities, but also the potential of linking existing organizations in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines in an increasingly complex network of returning fighters, foreign fighters, local jihadists, and criminal elements.

Even as ISIS loses control of physical territory in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, fighters operating in the grey ungoverned spaces can continue to disrupt and confound security forces and government agencies. In 2016, more than “10 fighting battalions” claimed to be fighting under the ISIS flag in the southern Philippines. Moreover, ISIS affiliates in Southeast Asia are effectively exploiting the cyber domain for radicalization efforts and recruitment within existing terror networks. In Malaysia at least 70 military personal were identified as having ISIS links – including those from the elite commandos. These military recruits are often encouraged to conduct attacks in their home countries due to the difficulty of making it to Syria. There is also a growing concern that these highly trained military personal could transfer their knowledge and skills to other fighters in Southeast Asia.

ISIS in Southeast Asia has yet to develop into a proto-state-like entity as it had in the Middle East. Much of ISIS-linked armed violence so far has been restricted in the southern Philippines and the maritime littorals shared by the three archipelagic states of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Recent events in the Middle East, however, could change the situation in Southeast Asia. The string of ISIS defeats on Middle Eastern battlefields does not necessarily spell the end of ISIS as a hybrid organization or its reach beyond the geographical confines of Syria and Iraq. Indeed, lost ground in the Middle East could be compensated by gains in other poorly governed spaces of the world, such as parts of Southeast Asia.

Dealing with Hybrid Adversaries in the Grey Zone

Whilst hybrid adversaries are not entirely unique to the 21st century, it is the rapid change in the character of hybrid threats and grey zone conflict that makes a precise response so challenging. The hallmark of a hybrid adversary lies in its capability and will to achieve specific strategic objectives in the amorphous space of the grey zone, which ranges from proto-state administration to pitched battles in urban areas. Unlike conventional war with its clearly defined notions of victory and defeat, there is little stability in grey zone conflict. It is the lack of stable rules in the game of grey zone conflict that makes it such an attractive option for proto-state hybrid actors such as ISIS.

States at the receiving end of hybrid adversaries and grey zone conflict should develop policies that allow their respective government agencies to respond in a timely and proportional manner. Such policies should develop a range of response options below the escalatory threshold of high-intensity war, but should send a clear signal to the hybrid adversary of the will and capability of the target state to respond. They could range from a multi-national response, such as the Malaysian, Indonesian, and Filipino joint maritime patrols in the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas, to the retooling of national military and domestic security agencies to counter hybrid threats.

In cases where the hybrid adversary may not be deterred, such as radicalized ISIS affiliates bent on suicide tactics, the focus should be on building resilient systems that are able to bounce back quickly. The savage violence of ISIS and its affiliates will continue to appeal to a tiny minority in Southeast Asia, but there is evidence to suggest that the resilience of local societies can tapped into to enable target states to bounce back quickly in event of ISIS-inspired violence. Hybrid adversaries in the grey zone will be a driver of global and regional conflicts, but we would do well to ensure that the impact remains largely in the grey zone.

thediplomat.com

The Afghan Taliban released a profile of Maulvi Haibtullah Akhunzada months after he was named the group’s chief.

The profile detailed Haibtullah’s role during Afghanistan’s invasion in 2001 and after the deaths of Mullah Omar and Mullah Mansour. The new chief is a strong advocate of Islamic unity, disavowing differences of ideology between Shias and Sunnis, the profile added.

Haibtullah was named chief by members of the group’s leading council following Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’s death in a US drone strike on May 21. Sirajuddin Haqqani alias Khalifa and Maulvi Yaqoob Mujahid, late Mullah Omar’s son, were appointed his deputies on the occasion.

“It was the courage and strong determination of brave leaders like Sheikh Haibtullah Akhunzada and his faithful colleagues that encouraged and inspired mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate and the Muslim masses of our country,” the profile read.

“This resulted in a humiliating and embarrassing defeat for superpower America as well as NATO, the greatest military alliance of crusade forces in the world,” it added.

“All key figures and field commanders unanimously supported the new ameer [chief] while pledges of allegiance and oath of fighting against the invaders and their foreign allied and internal mercenary forces were received from all 34 provinces,” the profile read.

The document, released in Pashto, English, Urdu, Dari and Arabic, dwells on Haibtullah’s commitment to justice with compassion during the years the international community accused the group of inflicting regressive and unforgiving punishments.

Meanwhile, when asked as to why the Taliban released the profile nearly seven month of his nomination, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told The Express Tribune that it had been done to counter any move to disseminate erroneous information about the leader.“We prepared an informative piece to share correct information and stop the spread of false information,” Mujahid said.

tribune.com.pk/

At least 16 militants were killed in an airstrike conducted in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Tuesday.

The airstrike was carried out in the restive Greshk district of Helmand province, MoD added.

The ant-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

This comes as at least 14 militants were killed and 11 others were seriously wounded in an airstrike conducted close to Lashkargah city, the provincial capital of southern Helmand province.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Monday that the airstrike was conducted in the past 24 hours but did not elaborate further.

Helmand is among the volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgents are actively operating in a number of its districts.

The group has launched numerous attacks in this province during the year with the local officials saying that the growing raids were aimed at establishing a council in this province.

However, the officials said the Afghan forces managed to repulse the Taliban attacks and thwarted their plans to shift some of their leadership council members to Helmand.

khaama.com

At least 10 members of a Daesh-linked militant group have been killed in clashes with government forces in the Philippines’ troubled south, according to the military Monday.

Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command spokesman, had earlier said that three soldiers were killed in heavy fighting that broke out Saturday morning in Patikul town in the island province of Sulu — a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf.

In a statement Monday, Tan said that the clash, which lasted nearly two hours, left 10 Abu Sayyaf members dead and six others wounded — figures he said were confirmed by intelligence units on the ground and validated by civilians in the area.

“Troops continue to conduct pursuit operations and intensify further the conduct of focused military operations to rescue the remaining kidnap victims and neutralize the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu,” he added.

A total of 21 soldiers sustained injuries — the majority minor shrapnel wounds — in the fighting.

According to the military, the militants involved were under the command of notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron, who has a $1 million bounty on his head for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of U.S. tourists in 2001.

The armed forces have been engaged in intensified operations against the Abu Sayyaf since August under orders issued by President Rodrigo Duterte after the group beheaded an 18-year-old Filipino hostage.

Police and military reports released in October stated that the group made around 353 million pesos ($7.3 million) from kidnap-for-ransom activities in the first six months of this year.

Since 1991, the group — armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles — has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion in a self-determined fight for an independent province in the Philippines.

It is one of two militant groups in the south to have pledged allegiance to Daesh, prompting fears during the stalling of a peace process between the government and the country’s one-time largest Moro rebel group that it could make inroads in a region torn by decades of armed conflict.

aa.com.tr/

Indonesian police have foiled a suspected Islamic State (Isis)-linked terror plot to strike the presidential palace. The counter-terrorism forces have arrested two men and a woman in connection with the plot.

The law enforcement authorities have seized explosives from the detainees which they were reportedly planning to use against the State Palace in Jakarta to coincide with New Year events. This is the latest in a series of actions against growing Islamic radicalism in Indonesia amid a spate of attacks.

“Very likely as a number of terrorists caught in the country were found to have links with Isis network,” said lawmaker Supiadin Saputra. The woman, 27, who was apprehended, was found with a note reading she was ready to carry out “amaliyah” – a code word for launching suicide attacks.

The police statement said a letter written to her parents by the likely female suicide bomber was intercepted by intelligence officials. The identities of the suspects were not released.

“The plan was to use the bomb at the presidential palace during the change of guard,” said Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono. Powerful explosives wrapped inside a pressure cooker were found in one of Jakarta’s neighbourhood towns, Bekasi. The explosives were later detonated under controlled conditions.

The police are also hunting for another suspect having links with the arrested persons.

Authorities in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, are struggling to deal with the growing presence of IS and other Islamic extremist groups in the country. President Joko Widodo has repeatedly vowed to stamp out Islamic militancy.

ibtimes.co.uk

A major operation involving the air and ground forces of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is underway in southern Uruzgan province with the local officials saying at least 18 militants were killed in the latest raids.

The officials further added that the operations were launched two days ago and are still being conducted in the restive parts of the province to clear from the militants presence.

Provincial police chief Wali Jan Sarhadi said the militants were killed during the operations conducted in the vicinity of Tarinkot city, the provincial capital of Uruzgan.

He said at least 25 militants were also wounded during the same operations.

There are no reports available regarding the casualties of the Afghan security forces and possible casualties of the civilians.

The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far.

Uruzgan is among the relatively volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgents are actively operating in a number of its districts.

The militants are often conducting insurgency activities by carrying roadside bombings, target killings, and coordinated attacks on the government compounds.

The Afghan forces have stepped up counter-terrorism operations against the group in this province after they launched a major attack to take control of the strategic Tarinkot city earlier in September.

Scores of additional forces including special forces of the Afghan national army were deployed to the area as the group managed to take the war in the outskirts of the city.

khaama.com/

The Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan (MoI) on Friday said in a statement that the special units of Afghan National Police (ANP) arrested a key Al-Qaeda financial facilitator in the suburbs of Khogyani district of the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The MoI stated that the terrorist was arrested during a special operation and he is a Pakistan national.

Another terrorist has been eliminated during the operation, the MoI said.

tolonews.com

Alexander Mantytskiy, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan, on Thursday confirmed Russia has ties with the Taliban, but said the relationship aimed to ensure the protection of Russia’s political offices in Afghanistan.

He said that the U.S has failed to accomplish its counter-terrorism task in Afghanistan effectively and that Russia is deeply concerned about the expansion of terrorist groups such as Daesh in Afghanistan.

“We have ties with the Taliban to ensure the security of our political offices, consulates and the security of central Asia,” he said.

He declared the Taliban a political faction and urged diplomacy with the group.

“Russia has always said that peace and national reconciliation was a need, so the process must move forward under the leadership and ownership of the Afghans,” he added.

On Wednesday, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to avoid interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. But Moscow hit out at NATO and said the NATO mission in Afghanistan has failed.

“The important thing is that we all support the Afghan unity government because that’s the best way to support efforts to fight terrorism to stabilize Afghanistan and to support the unity of Afghanistan, and that’s exactly what NATO is doing and NATO’s partners are doing when we support Afghanistan through the Resolute Support Mission.

“And all outside actors should be helping the Afghan government and not interfering in Afghanistan by undermining the Afghan government,” said Stoltenberg.

“Our concern is that Daesh not only threatens Afghanistan, but it is also a potent threat to central Asia, Pakistan, China, Iran, India and even Russia,” said Mantytskiy.

He said ten countries including the U.S, Britain, Germany, Italy, Iran, Pakistan, China and Qatar enjoy ties with the Taliban.

tolonews.com

Thirty Taliban have been killed and as many wounded during a clash with security forces in western Herat province, an official said on Wednesday.

Heavy clashes between security forces and rebels were underway over the past three days in Zirkoh locality of Shindand district, Farhad Jailani, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

At least 30 insurgents, including a notorious commander Mullah Basir, had been killed so far and another dreaded commander, Mullah Kamran, was among 30 other rebels injured in the gun battle, he said, adding security forces and civilians had suffered no casualties.

However, the Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the killing of only three fighters and injuring of eight others. He claimed inflicting heavy casualties on security forces.

pajhwok.com