Can the Islamic State - Khorasan Province Resurrect the Caliphate in Afghanistan?

Abstract

Following major losses and military setbacks in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) Afghan affiliate – Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-K) shows signs of gaining momentum in Afghanistan by exploiting the political uncertainty and volatile security environment in the country, in a bid to achieve its goal of resurrecting their so-alled alihate’ In recent times, IS-K has been conducting a steady drive of radicalisation and recruitment of the local Afghan population, while engaging in building key alliances with Salafi Jihadist militant groups in the Central and South Asian region, while competing against the Afghan Taliban who are currently dominating the Jihadist landscape in Afghanistan. IS-K has also been attracting large numbers of foreign fighters to Afghanistan, which could become the new battleground to resurrect the so-called Islamic State Caliphate. Following the defeat of ISIS in multiple theatres of conflict which led to the group losing territory in Iraq and Syria, the transnational terror group has maintained resilience by evolving through its affiliates which are spread across the globe. This paper will detail the regional security implications of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of troops attached to the United States of America (USA) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which will once again lead to the warbattered nation evolving into a hub for transnational terrorism. This study is qualitative research which uses both primary and secondary data to empirically analyse the trajectory followed by IS-K, based on the unfolding events in Afghanistan and the region. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis on the factors leading to the resurrection of the Islamic State caliphate in Afghanistan.