Islamic State–Taliban conflict

The Taliban–ISIL conflict in Afghanistan is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamist factions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 's branch in Afghanistan and the Taliban , as well as groups affiliated with ISIL and Taliban splinter factions dissatisfied with the group's leadership.

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing insurgency waged by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP) against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan . The conflict initially began when both operated as rival insurgent groups in Nangarhar ; since the formation of the Taliban's state in 2021, IS-KP members have enacted a campaign of terrorism targeting both civilians and assassinating Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics . The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan . The conflict began in 2015 following the creation of a regional branch of the Islamic State 'caliphate' and started to clash against Taliban insurgents over control of territory during the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021) , mostly in eastern Afghanistan but also through cells in the north-west and south-west. The Haqqani network , al-Qaeda and others supported the Taliban, while IS was supported by the Mullah Dadullah Front and the pro-ISIS faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan . IS-KP had lost territory to both the Taliban and the former republican government, with American support, by 2020. Following the Taliban capture of Kabul in 2021, IS-KP have continued its insurgent attacks against the new Taliban regime. As of October 2024, IS-KP is the largest and most powerful of the terror groups active in Afghanistan, with the Taliban appearing to view IS-KP as the primary threat to their rule. That Means Little for Its Victims" . The New York Times . "Taliban sends hundreds of fighters to eastern Afghanistan to wage war against Islamic State" . White on death of ISIS-K leader in Afghanistan" . "IS-K intel chief killed in Kabul raid" . 28 February 2023 . The Wall Street Journal . Several former Afghan government troops and intelligence agents have defected to Islamic State, the terrorist group which carried out yesterday's attack on a hospital in Kabul. "UCDP – Uppsala Conflict Data Program" . ucdp.uu.se . International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT . "Afghanistan's Security Challenges under the Taliban" . 12 August 2022. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).