'IS terrorists in Afg increased to 6,000 since Taliban takeover'

MOSCOW: The number of Islamic State terrorist organization members in Afghanistan increased three times to 6,000 since the Taliban came to power last year, Zamir Kabulov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department, said on Thursday. "As far as we understand, their approximate estimated number has reached 6,000. If you remember, after the Taliban came to power and took tough steps against the IS, their number was about 2,000 more or less. That is, even approximately, a three-fold increase," Kabulov said at a press conference at the Rossiya Segodnya international media group.

"This is the most negative side of the development of the Afghan situation, because the IS, as before, are sharpened to destabilize not only Afghanistan, but also its neighbors," he was quoted as saying by Sputnik. Since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the Islamic group has been fighting with the IS in several provinces.

Armed groups linked to the Afghan branch of the Islamic State have carried out bombings targeting ethnic Hazaras, Afghan Shias, Sufis, and others, killing and injuring hundreds. Last month, a new report prepared for the UN Security Council said the Taliban regime faces multiple threats from al-Qaida, the Islamic State, and an insurgency in the northern region of Panjshir.

According to the report, neither IS nor al-Qaida is expected to be able to launch international attacks "before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them." "While seeking international recognition to re-engage with the international financial system and to receive aid in order to deal with the growing economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan," the experts said.

"Since taking power, however, there have been many factors creating internal tensions within the movement, leading to perceptions that the Taliban's governance has been chaotic, disjointed and prone to reversing policies and going back on promises," they added.