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Battered Afghan Islamic State will struggle to regroup

Friday, December 20, 2019

Significance

Patrushev was referring to recent fighting in the eastern Nangarhar province which seriously damaged IS as a fighting force. The Taliban say it was they, not Afghan government troops, who inflicted this defeat.

Impacts

  • IS in Afghanistan was among the most effective and carefully managed 'franchises', so its defeat would be a blow to global IS.
  • Afghan jihadists drawn to IS will now have to reconsider their allegiances.
  • Mullah Haibatullah emerges strengthened within the Taliban as leader and as US negotiating partner.

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