Which group supported terrorists in afghanistan

The group was formed in by disaffected commanders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan , which seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state. These commanders had escaped to Afghanistan following Pakistan military offensives in the districts adjacent to eastern Afghanistan previously known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Their stated mission is to restore the historical region of Khorasan, comprising Afghanistan and Central Asia, as a part of a global Islamic caliphate.

While IS has provided the group both recognition and funds, IS-K is an operationally autonomous network that has attracted former members of various jihadist groups in the region, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda , and the Haqqani network HQN. At its peak, IS-K successfully recruited thousands of fighters and captured Taliban-controlled territory in Nangarhar , Kunar, and Jowzjan provinces of Afghanistan.

By , it had suffered significant leadership and cadre losses because of relentless U. But the group is far from defeated. In fact, experts believe it has reconstituted itself as a decentralized network of sleeper cells concentrated in urban centers like Kabul and Jalalabad to avoid further attrition and detection. These sleeper cells have reportedly carried out a string of high-casualty terror attacks targeting Western charities, Shia religious centers, public demonstrations, hospitals, and schools.

One such cell was planning to assassinate the top American diplomat in January but was foiled by Afghan intelligence. In the first four months of alone, IS-K carried out seventy-seven attacks in Afghanistan, representing a significant uptick from The militant landscape in Afghanistan is complicated to say the least. They have multi-generational ties between them that date back to the anti-Soviet Afghan jihad and that have been reinforced over time by the experience of fighting U.

While HQN fights under the Taliban umbrella, it retains relative operational autonomy in its primary zone of operations in eastern Afghanistan. All three groups have an adversarial relationship with IS-K, in part because it has exploited their internal conflicts to poach their disaffected members. IS-K and the Taliban are mortal enemies. The two groups have fiercely competed over resources, recruits, and territory in eastern and northern Afghanistan. Pakistan can also seek military assistance from China, long its steadfast ally.

Finally, Pakistan can court Saudi aid, which Saudi Arabia may grant, including as an anti-Iran hedge. Thus, Pakistan can easily believe that it can ride out tensions with the United States.

Other forms of U. It could also further encourage Indian activity in Afghanistan. But there are limits to U.

Moreover, the United States wants to encourage democratization, pluralization, and stronger civilian and technocratic governance in Pakistan. Just as there is a young, educated, well-meaning technocratic segment of the population battling it out against the warlords and parochial powerbrokers in Afghanistan, there are such reformist elements in Pakistan.

Thus, in response to U. For example, it can discontinue cooperation on nuclear safety issues or suspend Pakistan-India nuclear confidence-building measures. It could also provoking border instability in the Punjab.

UK has shared interest in stable Afghanistan - Raab. How can the West stop Afghan terror bases? Fleeing the Taliban over land into Pakistan. Who are the Taliban? How many Afghan refugees are fleeing? The two countries throwing a lifeline to the Taliban. Image source, Getty Images. Taliban and Pakistani soldiers guard Afghanistan's border with Pakistan.

What is Pakistan's relationship with Afghanistan and the Taliban? This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Taliban parade military equipment through the streets of Kandahar. What is Pakistan worried about? What does this mean for relations with West? Pakistan's relations with the West are not great. Ministers told to implement Islamic law.

An interior minister on a US terrorism list. The Taliban's spokesman announced the appointments in a press conference. Other appointments to the new government include:.

Mullah Yaqoob as acting defence minister. He is the son of Taliban founder and late supreme leader Mullah Omar. He first came to prominence in when, in an audio message released after his father's death, he called for unity within the militant group.

Baradar was previously head of the Taliban's political office, and oversaw the signing of the US withdrawal agreement last year. Amir Khan Muttaqi is acting foreign minister, a senior leader who took part in negotiations with the US about their withdrawal.

Image source, Alamy. Related Topics. Published 7 September.