Afghan ISIL Members Brought Syria War to Afghanistan
The presence of foreign citizens among armed Taliban and ISIL is not new, but recently, a number of Uzbek citizens of Afghanistan who are members of the ISIL terrorist group have come to Afghanistan after their defeat in Syria.
According to reports, a number of Afghan Uzbeks have come to the northeastern parts of the country, in particular the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, and are fighting with the national security and military forces.
This has led to concern among the Afghan people, especially the residents of the northeastern provinces of the country, and the presence of Afghan citizens who have returned from the Syria war and continue to cooperate with ISIL in Afghanistan has increased worries.
Residents of Kunar and Nangarhar provinces say that worries will be raised if cooperation between Afghan local residents and ISIL members was not banned.
“ISIL is an international issue and has a reputation of a project, ISIL had more sovereignty in Iraq and Syria, but recently there has been a number of ISIL members in Afghanistan after defeat in Syria,” Sayed Muraf Sadat, a political affairs expert in Nangarhar province told Middle East Press.
The ISIL is active in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar with the presence of Afghan citizens, Sadat as declaring.
Sadat said, tribal citizens from Pakistan, Chechnya, Bangladesh and Afghan Uzbeks includes the ISIL terrorist group and so the group is active in parts of the Northeastern provinces.
ISIL’s presence, activities, recruitment and its upcoming power will be a serious problem for Afghanistan and the regional countries, Sadat stated.
He asked the security forces to stop ISIL’s activities.
“Now, the ISIL is active in Nur-Gul, Chapa-Dara, Suki and Manugi districts that may create dangerous consequences,” Chairman of Kunar Provincial Council, Welayat-Khan Mashwani told Middle East Press.
“Beside foreigner members of ISIL group, there are some local members who have come to Nangarhar after group`s failure in Syria and Kunar.
Mashwani emphasized that the people`s concerns amid ISIL presence and its local recruitment have been shared with local and central officials but serious action has not been taken.
Meanwhile, Kunar governor`s spokesman Abdul Ghani Mosammam in a conversation with the Middle East Press confirmed that some members of the ISIL terrorist group in Afghanistan are Afghan and Pakistani citizens.
“Security forces attacked ISIL two weeks ago, which resulted in the death of 46 foreign members, including the important commander, who were also foreign citizens,” he declared.
Nangarhar is also one of the northeastern provinces of the country that the ISIL terrorist group had and has been fighting in.
On several events, security forces massively struck against the group in Nangarhar.
“The ISIL group has failed in Nangarhar province, the security forces set up a timely and effective operation to destroy ISIL, which has had a good result,” said Atallah Khogiani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial governor to the Middle East Press.
According to him, a number of foreign citizens, including Pakistani, Uzbekistani and Chechnya, are among ISIL members.
Khogyani did not endorse or deny the presence of Uzbek citizens of Afghanistan among the ISIL group, saying that further research should be conducted in this regard.
But people and local residents are concerning about ISIL’s activities, and containing Uzbek citizens of Afghanistan in the group.
“There is more ISIL presence in the district of Dewa Gol Dare, its military centers are here,” Noor Mohammad Omarzai, a resident of the Suki district of Kunar Province told Middle East Press.
A number of Uzbek citizens of Afghanistan are in the ranks of ISIL, who allegedly have been collaborating with ISIL after returning from the Syrian war, Omarzai continued.
ISIL is implementing its laws in areas it rules, he declares.
“ISIL’s presence is both difficult for the people and the government, and it should be eliminated, as we see the ISIL group, there are foreigner and local members.”
The presence of Syria-returned ISIL members in Afghanistan is when earlier, the Saudi Rials were found from them and it indicates that Saudi Arabia strongly supports them.