ISIS Khorasan on the verge of total collapse.

In the end of year 2014, a group of former TTP (Pakistani Taliban) members from Orakzai Agency, and Khyber Agency of Northwest Pakistan and local militants of the Nangarhar province of Northeast Afghanistan and the Saad bin Abi-Waqas Front of Logar Province of Afghanistan pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, thus declaring a Wilayat of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Khorasan).

Former TTP Orakzai members and militants from Nangarhar pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

This declaration was considered a declaration of new rival to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghan Taliban). The declaration of caliphate by ISIS was the first move by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi by which he made all the Islamic movements as illegitimate and those who didn’t accepted the legitimacy of ISIS caliphate were considered apostates by the new legislations of ISIS.

Already wary Taliban who had known the ISIS war against Syrian Islamist groups, the deputy of Mullah Umar ‘Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’ (Current Supreme leader of Taliban) sent a letter to ISIS and called them to stop infighting and intervention in Jihad-e-Afghanistan and warned them that if they continued making distortion in the ranks of Taliban, then the hands of Taliban will be forced to take action.

Meanwhile the infighting had already started in Nangarhar when ISIS Khorasan burnt the homes of Taliban and their sympathizer tribes. In retaliation, Taliban launched a large scale offensive against ISIS Khorasan and fierce battle broke out. Taliban destroyed and burnt down the home of ISIS Khorasan commander Abdul Khaliq in revenge thou he escaped. Meanwhile US drones bombed Taliban positions while the infighting between Taliban and ISIS was intensified. Pro-Taliban activists on social media linked this to conspiracy theories but soon US drones bombed ISIS positions as well that killed senior commanders Gull Zaman Fatih and Shahidullah Shahid. Then Pro-ISIS activists on social media tried to link it with conspiracy theories but US continued bombing Taliban and ISIS positions indiscriminately which made both Taliban and ISIS sympathizers realize that US and NATO jets just don’t want to miss the opportunity to kill as many as Islamists while the infighting. Due to this carnage, Tehreek-Taliban-Pakistan splinter group “Jamatul Ahrar” issued a statement saying that they formed a Jirga to mediate between Taliban and ISIS Khorasan to stop the bloodshed. TTP Jamatul Ahrar didn’t issue more details to this day and the battle continued. Taliban took over several districts of Nangarhar province and killed+captured dozens of ISIS Khorasan fighters. Most of the ISIS fighters fled to Orakzai agency back (Orakzai agency and Nangarhar shares a wide border on Durand Line).

Gull Zaman Fatih, former leader of TTP Khyber Agency killed in US drone in Nangarhar.

Shahidullah Shahid, former leader of TTP Orakzai Agency & also former spokesman of TTP, killed in US drone in Nangarhar.

Saad Imarati, leader of Saad bin Abi-Waqas Front in Logar Province of Afghanistan. He escaped Taliban offensive alongside his men and reportedly fled to Kabul.

Note: Pakistani Taliban (TTP) has already opposed the ISIS declaration of caliphate.

The angry Taliban then prepared their fighters to massacre ISIS affiliated group ‘Saad bi Abi-Waqas Front’ in Logar Province which is led by Saad Imarati. According to a source, Pakistani Taliban requested Afghan Taliban to let Saad Imarati and his men flee the area in order to avoid bloodshed and infighting. A semi-Official source of Taliban stated that Saad Imarati and his men from Saad bin Abi-Waqas Front shaved their beards and fled to Kabul and some dispersed into the Afghan society. Taliban source said in a tweet “The ISIS chapter in Logar province has been closed”.

These defeats and humiliation for ISIS Khorasan was very saddening for the Iraqi leadership but they managed to revive the morale of their fighters in Afghanistan when the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan pledged allegiance to ISIS. According to social media activists, IMU had pledged allegiance to ISIS long ago but their declaration was made public on a perfect time to boost up the moral of the defeated ISIS Khorasan. IMU thou an Uzbek group, is active in Afghanistan but depends on local groups for sanctuary. IMU might become part of ISIS Wilayat Khorasan. In their statement of declaring allegiance to ISIS, they didn’t oppose Taliban and Al-Qaeda instead praised their struggle unlike the rest of ISIS affiliates.

Related Article: From one Black Flag to another Black Flag (IMU)