Bayan News – After the ISIS attack in Moscow, international and regional concerns about the enduring presence of ISIS in Afghanistan have been raised.
This ISIS attack, which caused international shock, once again brought Afghanistan to the forefront, seemingly tying the thread of this attack back to Afghanistan. Based on this, some regional diplomats have responded to the question of whether ISIS will indeed pose a lasting threat to Afghanistan.
Mohammad Reza Bahrami, former Iranian ambassador to Kabul, added that the mode of interaction of extremist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia has taken on a complex nature due to linguistic, ethnic, and other ties.
The former Iranian diplomat wrote on Sunday (11 Hamal) on the X platform that the possibility of using these extremist groups in power struggles contributes to the sustainability of the phenomenon of extremism.
He stated, “In this space, competition between these groups is defined on the basis of power and ideology.”
On the other hand, Atif Mashal, former Afghan government ambassador to Pakistan, says that the West, by financing ISIS and using Pakistan, aims to destabilize China, Russia, Iran, and countries in Central Asia.
In an article on the “Al-Marsad” website, close to the Taliban, he wrote that Shihab al-Muhajir, the leader of ISIS’s Khorasan branch, is currently living in Balochistan, Pakistan, organizing life and attacks.
This former Afghan government diplomat continues to write that there are individuals in Pakistan who are trying to create obstacles to the implementation of large regional economic projects, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
In this article, he claims that Pakistani generals want to prevent Afghanistan’s connection with China via Wakhan by referring to the increase in bomb attacks in Pakistan.
Atif Mashal stated in this article that the ISIS project and terrorist groups in Central Asia are generally an attempt to sabotage development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, TAPI, CASA-1000, and other regional projects.
However, following the ISIS attack on the outskirts of Moscow and the targeting of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, concerns about the potential emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan have increased.
The United Nations Security Council and U.S. security authorities have consistently referred to the ISIS Khorasan branch as a serious threat to Afghanistan and the region.
