Taliban claim there are no more Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan

Taliban statement

There are no longer any Islamic State (an organization banned in Russia) fighters on the territory of Afghanistan, and their last hideouts are located in Pakistan. This was stated by Taliban spokesman (the movement is listed as a terrorist organization) Zabihullah Mujahid, as reported by the AF International agency. According to him, the camps and hideouts of the fighters are located on the other side of the border. The Taliban have repeatedly stated that they control the security situation inside the country and do not allow ISIS activity on their territory.

Context of earlier assessments

The statement differs noticeably from earlier assessments: in 2021, US authorities claimed that there were around 2,000 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, and warned that the activity of these terrorists would pose a challenge to the Taliban regime. Since 2024, a special unit to combat Islamic Statehas been operating in the country, formed from unemployed Taliban members who were temporarily issued weapons; local media explained that the Afghan Interior Ministry initiated its creation out of concern that men without a permanent source of income might join the terrorists. The Taliban's new statement itself is not supported by independent data in available publications, so any assessment of the real presence of Islamic State in the country should for now be considered a matter of disagreement between the parties' positions.