Afghans caught between evils of Isil and the Taliban

Nangarhar province in turmoil as two bands of extremists fight for control of citizens who fear both

EVERY time Abdullah Shirzad passes a checkpoint of Isil fighters, he fears he is about to die.

The teacher begins reciting the Koran and praying the fanatics pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-baghdadi, the self-declared caliph, will let him pass.

In the three years since jihadists loyal to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) first appeared in his native Nangarhar province, they have imposed an extremist ideology that brands the population as apostates who can be punished by death; jihadists so brutal locals say they make the Taliban seem lenient in comparison.

The people of Nangarhar find themselves caught between two brutal militant groups after the Taliban vowed to drive Isil, also known as Daesh, from this eastern corner of Afghanistan.

“There is extreme fear in the areas under the control of Daesh and even the areas lying adjacent to the Daesh,” said Mr Shirzad, adopting a false name to protect himself.

“According to Daesh’s interpretation of Islamic law, every government job holder and every businessman and trader is an apostate. Daesh has the right to kill them or to terrorise them to bring them to the right path and they have adopted this policy in every area under their control.”

In reality the militants’ disdain and suspicion extends further, to nearly everyone not in their ranks, he said. Only those who join their jihad are truly considered Muslims.

Isil first emerged in Afghanistan in 2015 as militants swarmed to the banner of the extremists who shocked the world, proclaiming a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The Afghan branch has endured as the caliphate has been swept away in the Middle East.

Attracting defections from extremist groups such as the Pakistan Taliban, and foreign fighters, it built a stronghold in Nangarhar and parts of Kunar.

Us-led counter-terrorism forces have failed to root out Isil. Beheadings and public executions have become the group’s trademark, with no one spared – victims include the elderly.

Isil’s reign has caused many to flee the rural districts they control for the provincial capital of Jalalabad. Mr Shirzad, from an Isil-controlled part of Khogyani,

‘It is clear that both the militant groups are two sides of the same coin, both involved in killing people’

fled, swapping his school for temporary classrooms set up for fellow refugees.

His job as a teacher made him particularly vulnerable. While Taliban restrictions on education, particularly for girls, were notorious, he said they paled in comparison with Isil. The Taliban would negotiate on issues such as access to teams of polio vaccinators, whereas Isil “shows zero tolerance”.

Yet the city is limited refuge. The trade hub overseeing road freight to Pakistan is a relentless target for Isil suicide bombings.

“Local business people are leaving Jalalabad because it is no place to live after the expansion of Isil,” said Ghulam Mohmand, a doctor, again using a false name to protect himself. “Daesh has infiltrated the cities of Afghanistan and many educated people are supporters of Isil in Afghanistan. This is strange phenomenon.

“Professionals like doctors very quickly blame you as an apostate when discussing the Afghanistan situation.”

While the Taliban has been more confident elsewhere – this week it spent three days fighting for Ghazni city and sent envoys to Uzbekistan – in Nangarhar it has failed to shift Isil.

Earlier this month the Taliban announced it was massing hundreds of fighters to push Isil from Nangarhar, led by its own so-called Red Unit elite forces.

But Mr Shirzad predicts that the clash between the two groups will be bloody and long. For all the extremism of Isil, he says most people caught in the middle are no fan of either side.

“It is very much clear that both the militant groups are two sides of the same coin, both are involved in killing people, extorting money, kidnapping and other brutal crimes,” he said.

“Both militant groups are not good for the locals.”