ISIS-K surging after US left Afghanistan: Former CENTCOM Commander
Former commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), has said that with the Taliban gaining power, ISIS Khorasan has found conducive conditions for advancement.
According to Business Insider, prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, ISIS Khorasan’s activities were limited to Afghanistan with minimal penetration beyond its borders.
However, afterward, it found more expansion opportunities and took responsibility for attacks beyond Afghanistan’s borders, including a suicide attack on the anniversary ceremony of Qasem Soleimani in Iran and an attack on a concert hall in Moscow.
Joseph Votel, who oversaw military operations in the Middle East in 2010, told Business Insider, “It won’t take long for these organizations to increase their activities and become more capable.”
Business Insider wrote in its report that without the US military presence in Afghanistan, options to combat ISIS are relatively limited. The report added that while the White House has previously emphasized a strategy beyond targeting terrorists with drones, there seems to be little evidence of the effectiveness of such a strategy.
Business Insider noted that before the collapse of Afghanistan’s previous government, the US had significant intelligence capabilities in Afghanistan, allowing it to conduct military attacks against terrorist groups and provide advice and assistance to Afghan forces in key operations.
According to this American publication, retired General Joseph Votel has said that this “whack-a-mole” approach to counterterrorism has ultimately strengthened and made ISIS Khorasan more flexible, with the group now focusing on expanding its influence in other regions.
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