UN: ISIS now in all Afghan provinces, Taliban responding with extrajudicial killings

The UN envoy to Afghanistan said on Wednesday that ISIS now seems to be present “in all provinces” of the country.

UN Special Representative Deborah Lyons told the Security Council that the Taliban is responding with “extrajudicial detentions and killings” of any suspected members of ISIS-K, the terrorist group affiliate in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, ISIS has ramped up its attacks in the country, targeting Taliban members and Afghan citizens with several bombings.

The Taliban has tried to downplay the threat of ISIS, claiming it wasn’t a major danger. The group also refused to cooperate with the US to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan.

The US believes that terrorist groups can easily reconstitute in Afghanistan under Taliban rules and is concerned the country will become a terrorism haven and a launching pad for international attacks.

The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley said in September there is a “real possibility” that al-Qaeda or ISIS could reconstitute in Afghanistan under Taliban rule within the next six to 36 months.