The Taliban in 2021 aims to rule Afghanistan according to its interpretation of Islamic law, while the IS-K remains committed to the distant goal of a global “caliphate”.
Taliban spokespersons call the group “takfiri” – Muslims who mark the other apostates and condemn them to death – while IS-K propaganda presents their rivals as clearance sales to the Americans.
But while the rhetoric is chilling, the line between the groups is porous and fighters may switch sides as the views and opportunities of their commanders evolve.
recruiting disgruntled members of the Taliban and those who perceive the Taliban as too moderate,” said Barbara Kelemen of Dragonfly Security Intelligence.
“With the Taliban now apparently carrying out moderate reforms to phone number library their regime, it is highly likely that the group will try to capitalize on its position as the main rejection group in Afghanistan to recruit more disgruntled former Taliban supporters and to launch attacks against the Taliban. Taliban. ”
– Do the Taliban have the upper hand? –
“The Taliban’s main message to the Afghan people since August 15 is that they have restored stability by ending the war,” said Michael Kugelman of the US think tank Woodrow Wilson Center.
“But terrorist attacks like the one in Kunduz undermine this narrative in a major way,” he warned.