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.