Taliban Warns Islamic State to Stay Out of Afghanistan

On June 16, the Taliban sent a letter to the “caliph” of the Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The letter was sent following fighting between Taliban and IS fighters in the eastern province of Nangahar.

The letter has multiple purposes. It is a warning and a plea to IS to stay uninvolved in Afghanistan, and it is intended to serve to dissuade young Afghani men from joining with IS. In order to reach a wide audience, it was written in many of the local languages: Arabic, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu. It was distributed by a Taliban spokesperson and given to journalists, and says that “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from a brotherhood point of religion wants your goodness and has no intention of interfering in your affairs. Reciprocally, we hope and expect the same from you.”

It goes on to state that “if there are attempts to create another jihadi leadership, it will inevitably pave the way for internal rivalries and disarray. Therefore the Islamic Emirate insists on the unification of jihadi activities in Afghanistan under its leadership.” The letter adds that IS intervention in Afghanistan will force the Taliban to act.

IS has not yet issued a response.

Although IS currently has little material support in Afghanistan, the Taliban is worried about the spread of IS. Both the Taliban and IS seek to establish an Islamic caliphate, so each sees the other as a competitor for legitimacy. Interestingly, they both instill Sharia law in an attempt to purify the world because they reject aspects of modern life that they believe has returned to pre-Islamic pagan ignorance. Though ideologically similar, they are different simply because they have declared their loyalty to different leaders.

The two declared jihad on each other in April after the Taliban condemned an attack, claimed by IS, that killed 35 people. In places where IS has gained a following, many of them have been Taliban defectors that are have now turned against their former leaders. IS activity in Afghanistan would disrupt the Taliban’s own attempts to establish itself as the single legitimate Islamic power in Afghanistan. The Taliban actually took control of the Afghan government in 1996, but was removed from power in 2001. It is now engaging in informal peace talks with the government in an attempt to regain legitimacy and retake control over the country. The letter from June 16 suggests that the Taliban is concerned with IS’s growing capability and wants to stop IS advancement into Afghanistan before it becomes a powerful actor in the region.

Additionally, news recently surfaced that the Taliban has received funding from Iran, along with evidence showing that Iran has increased its involvement by providing arms and training. Though the extent of Iran’s intended support of the Taliban remains unclear, an Afghan security official has said that Iran clearly intends to utilize the Taliban in countering IS. Increased IS activity could therefore strengthen Iran’s influence in the Middle East and western Asia, areas where the US has been struggling to maintain a strategic foothold, as it provides more support to Islamist terror organizations.