Security forces operating under the Taliban movement carried out a night-time operation in Kabul that resulted in the elimination of two Islamic State militants and the detention of a third. The report, cited by Fox News, references statements from the spokesman for the Taliban government. The regional faction of the Islamic State, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, remains a significant adversary of the Taliban, and the group has stepped up assaults on the Shiite community and on security patrols since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
According to the Taliban administration spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, the Kabul raid targeted a cluster within the Kher Khan enclave, believed to house ISIS operatives planning attacks against the capital. The operation yielded additional finds, including ammunition and military gear, reinforcing concerns about ongoing terrorist activity in the city.
Earlier in February, a separate raid in the Karti Nau district, located to the east of Kabul, resulted in the deaths of three ISIS fighters and the arrest of another individual. The combined events highlight a persistent conflict between the Taliban and ISIS elements that has persisted for years, with renewed intensity following the collapse of the previous Afghan government.
In related commentary, Zamir Kabulov, formerly the Russian president’s special envoy to Afghanistan and head of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department, asserted that Moscow believes the United States is covertly supporting the Islamic State to counter the influence of a rival Taliban faction within Afghanistan. Kabulov stated that such American actions are not intended to help Afghanistan but to inflict harm, arguing that Washington seeks to avenge what he described as its punitive military-political setbacks in the country.
The broader struggle between ISIS and the Taliban has deep roots, with high-profile clashes appearing as far back as 2015, when a senior Taliban commander, Abdul Ghani, was killed in Logar province. Since that turning point, violence between the two banned groups has persisted, shaping security dynamics across Afghanistan and contributing to ongoing uncertainty about regional stability and security efforts.