ISIS In Afghanistan Has Capacity To Attack Across Region, Reports AUF

The Afghanistan United Front (AUF), led by Sami Sadat, former commander of Afghanistan's special forces, published a report on the threats posed by ISIS.

The report states that ISIS-Khorasan currently has 9,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and, with it has the capacity to conduct attacks "throughout the region”.

The detailed report by the front was released on Wednesday.

The report indicates that the number of ISIS forces in Afghanistan is rapidly increasing, and is gaining the operational capacity for suicide attacks, insurgency, and assassinations in cities as well as attack government facilities or economic centres throughout the region.

The Intelligence Commission of the Afghanistan United Front stated that currently, the largest and strongest ISIS center in the world is the ISIS network in the Khorasan region, with its leadership based in Balochistan of Pakistan, and its operational members stationed in Afghanistan.

According to the report, by the end of 2023, many active ISIS leaders from Syria and Iraq had traveled to the Balochistan region of Pakistan and Kunar province of Afghanistan.

The report states that following ISIS' defeat in Syria and Iraq, members of the group from the Middle East also went to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has led to the strengthening of ISIS-Khorasan.

The front has warned that "the ISIS group has the ideological, human resources, and recruitment capacity to carry out attacks in Europe and the United States, and they have demonstrated this capability in Afghanistan and Iran as well."

Although the Taliban claims to have suppressed ISIS, the group occasionally launches attacks against Taliban forces and civilians, mainly Shias and Hazaras.

The presence and expansion of ISIS in Afghanistan is also a major concern for Central Asian countries.