Islamic State claims branch in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Even as the Islamic State was in retreat from Kobani in northern
Syria this week, the militant group claimed growing influence farther
afield. Fighters loyal to IS said they carried out a deadly attack
Tuesday on a hotel in Libya's capital. The day before, an IS spokesman
announced the expansion of the self-styled caliphate in South Asia.
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani declared in an online message "we bring the
mujahideen the good news of the Islamic State's expansion to Khorasan," a
reference to the historical region that now encompasses Afghanistan,
Pakistan and what Adnani called "nearby lands."
Adnani's comments confirmed what Pakistani security analysts view as a growing threat.
In a video released earlier this month, a band of breakaway Pakistani
Taliban militants based in the tribal area swore their allegiance to
IS. The video showed dozens of fighters riding horses and waving IS
flags. Former Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid appears in the video,
speaking Arabic and declaring his allegiance to the IS leader and
self-styled caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Last week, Pakistani media reported that security forces had arrested
an IS leader, Yousaf Al-Salafi, in the eastern city Lahore.
Pakistan's government has not confirmed an IS presence in the
country. But some mainstream political party leaders have expressed
concerns in parliament, calling on the government to take action against
the Islamic State before it establishes a foothold.
Those warnings appear to be too late and, according to some
observers, Adnani's declaration will only make any anti-IS fight by the
government harder. Pakistani defense analyst and retired army general,
Talat Masood told VOA Deewa “Taliban breakaway factions who have
announced allegiance to IS otherwise faced isolation. But the
announcement will bring them into the fore and magnify their presence.”
According to Khadim Hussain, author of The Militant Discourse, local
jihadis will gain more than just publicity. In an interview with VOA
Deewa, he said "Pakistan Taliban groups know that allegiance to IS will
bring them financial benefits."
It's not clear how much material support the Syria- and Iraq-based IS
is able to provide to members abroad. Branches of the franchise in
Libya appear to be getting some technical training, but reports of money
and equipment transfers have not been verified.
What al-Adnani tried to promise in his statement was unity, calling
on "all the mujahideen in Khorasan to join the caravan of the caliphate"
and abandon factionalism.
But if the internecine battles of jihadis in Syria and Libya are any
guide, unity among militants may be a more audacious goal than the
establishment of an Islamic State itself.
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