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ABSTRACT
For a country already shaken by terrorism, the increasing presence of Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan is a nightmare for the Afghans and many others. The IS-Taliban rivalry for Afghan hearts, minds and territory has sharply increased violence in the strife-torn country and will likely hit the ongoing peace process. Moreover, the vacuum left following confirmation of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death will likely enable IS to expand its presence and legitimacy in Afghanistan. The Taliban are driven by local issues and limit their fighting to within their countryís borders different from IS which seeks to forge a worldwide caliphate. However, the turf war between the IS and the Taliban has already begun and it is very likely it will intensify further representing the biggest challenge to the Government of President Ashraf Ghani. With civilian casualties mounting, serious questions about the effectiveness of both the new Government and security forces, and a mounting economic crisis, Afghanistan is facing some very real and daunting challenges.
Introduction
Afghanistan, a landlocked multi-ethnic country is located in the heart of South-Central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, numerous Eurasian civilizations have interacted, traded, migrated through and often fought invaders and conquerors including the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, Muslim Arabs, Turkic peoples, the Mongols, the British Empire, and the Soviet Union.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was resisted by Afghan guerrilla forces, with covert material assistance from the United States. The invasion also marked the beginning of the downfall of the former Soviet Union, which experienced the limits of expansionism. Once Soviet forces left Afghanistan in 1989, however, neglect by the United States and its allies in rebuilding the war-devastated country led to internal factional strife, with the Taliban eventually gaining control.1
The Taliban, a radically militant Islamic movement that controlled some 90 percent of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, emerged from their base in Kandahar in southwestern Afghanistan in reaction to the lawlessness caused by infighting between rival mujahideen forces in the wake of the Soviet withdrawal. The Talibanís declared aims included the restoration of peace, rigid enforcement of Islamic law, disarming the population and defending the Islamic character of Afghanistan.2
The Taliban...