Mahrukh Hasan
Mahrukh Hasan holds Masters in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Edinburgh. She is an analyst and writes on international politics of South Asia and the Middle East.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: ISIS, Afghanistan, Khorasan, annex, Sunni Salafist, Takfiri, funds, future, divergent interest, Afghan government, US, ideology, sectarianism
Abstract
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria plans to extend its territory eastward from the Middle East, into the countries of the current Khorasan province: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The global terror network that ISIS has established looks to be physically expanding its ties with one another. ISIS is aiming to create a foothold in Afghanistan, which has been going through a period of increased violence over the previous 35 years. This paper argues that the relatively new actor of ISIS does not have a lasting future in Afghanistan, despite the fact that its emergence has made permanent peace in the country a remote possibility by complicating the already intricate relations between various actors representing divergent interests. The growth of ISIS in Afghanistan has been used by Kabul as a bargaining chip to get additional military and financial aid from the United States, which has helped to strengthen Kabul’s position. The Taliban in Afghanistan have been fighting foreign invasion for almost a decade, which will be an obstacle for ISIS to overcome. The ideological consistency, strategic goals, broad public support, and sectarian distinctions of the two movements are crucial to judging their relative strengths and faults. All these problems have been addressed in this paper, followed by a conclusion which gives a possible solution to this baffling situation.
First Published
March 25, 2016
How to Cite
Mahrukh Hasan, “The Threat of ISIS in Afghanistan: An Overstatement,” Regional Studies 34, no.2 (Spring 2016): 110-127, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/the-threat-of-isis-in-afghanistan-an-overstatement/
Issue
Volume 34, Issue 2