Despite repeated claims by the Taliban about eliminating ISIS in Afghanistan, the group continues to carry out targeted bombings and suicide attacks, striking significant blows to the Taliban’s power structure over the past three years.
In the latest incident, Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees and a senior member of the Haqqani network, was killed in a suicide attack at his office in Kabul. This assassination marks the first killing of a Taliban minister in three years and represents a major victory for ISIS.
Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani was a prominent figure in the Haqqani network, playing a critical role in strengthening the group and advising Taliban leaders. His death is a significant blow to the Taliban’s power structure. Previously, other Taliban officials had also been targeted by ISIS.
Among them, Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the Taliban governor of Balkh and a close associate of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, was killed in his office in 2023. Muzammil had been responsible for combating ISIS in Nangarhar. Rahimullah Haqqani, a key ideological supporter of the Taliban, was assassinated by ISIS in Kabul, while Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, and Saffiullah Samim, the former Taliban police chief of Baghlan, were killed in separate attacks.
These attacks highlight significant weaknesses in the Taliban’s security apparatus. ISIS operatives have repeatedly bypassed Taliban checkpoints and targeted high-ranking officials in their offices, mosques, and even during formal events. Surveillance footage indicates that these operations are meticulously planned and involve infiltration of the Taliban’s security systems.
While the Taliban claim to have complete control over Afghanistan and to have ensured nationwide security, the killings of senior figures like Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani and Mohammad Dawood Muzammil reveal serious challenges in countering ISIS.
Using its classic tactics of suicide bombings and explosive attacks, ISIS aims to undermine the Taliban and showcase its strength. The group has targeted ministries, local government offices, mosques, and even bank lines in Kandahar, causing significant casualties.
Beyond physical threats, ISIS and the Taliban are ideologically at odds. While both groups share a Salafi-jihadist ideology, their approaches differ fundamentally. ISIS accuses the Taliban of collaborating with “infidels” to establish a so-called “Islamic State” and sees this as a betrayal of true Islamic principles.
The Taliban, meanwhile, face financial constraints and lack resources to adequately equip their security forces. In contrast, ISIS benefits from drug trafficking and underground financial networks to fund its operations.
Internal divisions within the Taliban further complicate their ability to counter ISIS. Factional rivalries, especially between the Haqqani network and other Taliban factions, create strategic vulnerabilities that ISIS exploits.
Rosa Otunbayeva, the United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, recently told the UN Security Council that the assassination of Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani underscores the Taliban’s inability to maintain security or effectively govern the country. Despite the Taliban’s claims of defeating ISIS, the group has shown its capacity to target not only ordinary citizens but also high-ranking Taliban officials.
ISIS’s continued attacks and its ability to infiltrate the Taliban’s security structures demonstrate that the Taliban have failed to eliminate the group and remain vulnerable to its operations. These developments cast doubt on the Taliban’s image as a provider of security and pose significant challenges to their future as Afghanistan’s rulers.
