ISKP Attacks Will Cease After Foreign Troops Are Gone And We Form Islamic Government: Taliban

As Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) intensifies its struggle for dominance in Afghanistan, Kabul airport, where hundreds have thronged in a bid to leave the country, came under rocket fire.

On Monday (30 August), United States (US) anti-missile defences intercepted five rockets fired at Kabul’s airport early in the day. Afghan media reported that the attack was launched from the back of a vehicle. The Hindu quoted Pajhwok news agency as saying that several rockets struck different parts of the Afghan capital.

Yesterday, US warned of a “real” and “specific” threat of new attacks on Kabul airport. This was just hours ahead of its deadline - 31 August - to complete its withdrawal. This would end US’s longest war that began in retaliation against the twin tower attacks on 11 September 2001.

The US and allied forces have reportedly evacuated about 1.14 lakh persons, including foreign nationals and Afghans deemed “at risk”, in an effort that began on 14 August - a day before Kabul fell to the Taliban. Yesterday, other countries also put in last-minute requests to bring out people in that category.

The Taliban will take full control of Kabul airport today after the American withdrawal, Qatar’s Al Jazeera television network cited an unidentified Taliban source as saying. The evacuation of tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghans will end today along with the full withdrawal of US and NATO troops.

Taliban's stance

The Taliban have indirectly blamed the foreign presence in Afghanistan for the attacks, saying that they expect the attacks to end once "foreign forces leave the country" and the Taliban establish an Islamic government.

The Taliban’s spokesman also said that they will crack down on IS-KP attacks once foreign forces leave the country.

“We hope that those Afghans who are influenced by IS... will give up their operations on seeing the formation of an Islamic government in the absence of foreigners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding, “If they create a situation for war and continue with their operations, the Islamic government... we will deal with them.”

He reiterated that the new Taliban government will not be announced until after the last US soldier has left the Afghan soil. “It is important to announce the government but this requires a lot of patience. We are holding consultations to form the government responsibly,” Mujahid said.

“We have some technical problems on this issue,” he added.

Since the takeover, Taliban have largely shut the banks, government offices and other public institutions with employees prevented from entering offices, which sent the Afghani economy sliding.

Islamic State has been highly critical of talks between the Taliban and US, accusing the Taliban of betraying the cause of Jihad, although both are hardline Sunni Islamists, and both claim to be the true flag-bearers of Jihad.

In recent years, the IS has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, massacring civilians at mosques, public squares, schools, and even hospitals.

During the Taliban’s prison break spree this summer to free its fighters, many battle-hardened IS militants were also released, as were many Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorists, which puts not just Afghanistan, but the whole region at a higher risk.

India fully prepared

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Security of Indians is a cause for concern for the government. We also do not want anti-India forces to take advantage of the evolving Afghan situation for cross-border terrorism.”

Singh was delivering the third Balramji Dass Tandon memorial lecture organised by Panjab University via videoconference. He asserted that the Indian government was alert and capable of dealing with any situation. "The Indian government is constantly monitoring the situation in Afghanistan," he added.

About a week ago, India cancelled all existing visas for Afghan nationals wanting to travel to India, and instituted the “e-visa only” system after reports emerged that Taliban gunmen had stolen many passports

The government will not compromise on issues related to national security, national self-respect and uplift of the nation under any circumstances, Singh said.

“Our goal is to make India prosperous, strong and secure. Such an India that does not scare people with its power, but instils a sense of confidence even in small countries that India’s growing power is not a threat to them. It is also going to instil a sense of security for them,” he said.

Stating that some new threats have also emerged regarding national security, due to the development of modern technology, Singh said, "We have to continuously update and upgrade the national security system for new challenges.”

The minister also listed a series of defence reforms by the government. “We are working towards creating Theatre Commands in a new way. This is also going to be a revolutionary step in itself. The process of discussion on this is still going on,” he said.

Also read: All you need to know about Islamic State-Khorasan Province — jihadist group behind Kabul airport terror attack