Afghan Interior Minister Warns of ISIS Attacks on Taliban Officials

Taliban’s Interior Minister in a letter stated that Islamic State (ISIS) militants are planning to launch attacks targeting senior Taliban leaders, provincial governors, officials and more.  

Abdul Mateen Qaneh, Taliban’s spokesperson for the interior ministry on Tuesday, July 11, confirmed the content of the letter but avoided providing further details about the potential threats.

The letter was delivered on July 9 to the Taliban’s police command throughout Afghanistan – stating that ISIS fighters want to target provincial governors, chiefs and civilian leaders of the group in their offices and residential houses by means of suicide attacks and bombs.

Some senior Taliban members including Mullah Yaqoob, the Acting Defense Minister had traveled to Saudi Arabia to offer Haj pilgrimage.

Prior to this, a separate letter from the Taliban interior ministry had gone viral on social media, claiming that a group of fighters affiliated with ISIS were planning to enter the country from Pakistan.  

Previously, the Taliban had officially underestimated the security threats of ISIS, however, now the de facto authorities of Afghanistan consider ISIS as a major threat than other anti-Taliban groups.

According to Western security officials, the Khorasan branch of ISIS had lost the ability to operate within Afghanistan, but now it seems that ISIS insurgents are trying to target senior Taliban officials via suicide attacks and showcase their abilities.  

Killing former Balkh governor, Mohammad Dawood Muzamil and former Deputy Governor of Badakhshan provinces in two separate suicide attacks are clear examples of ISIS fighters’ operations in different parts of the country.

Over the past twenty years, Taliban fighters pursued the same tactic to kill former government officials and political figures, and have always praised its effectiveness.

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