‘IS attacks will stop when US leaves’

Taliban spokesman says the group will crack down on the Islamic State outfit, and expects terror to end as foreign forces leave Afghanistan

KABUL/WASHINGTON: The Taliban’s spokesman has said that the group will crack down on Islamic State (IS) attacks and expects terror strikes to end once foreign forces leave the country.

“We hope that those Afghans who are influenced by IS... will give up their operations on seeing the formation of an Islamic government in the absence of foreigners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. “If they create a situation for war and continue with their operations, the Islamic government... we will deal with them.”

A devastating suicide bomb attack claimed by IS outside Kabul airport on Thursday killed scores of people who were hoping to flee the country, as well as 13 US service members. Retaliatory and pre-emptive strikes by the United States on IS positions over the past few days seem to have angered the terrorists.

The Pentagon said it carried out a drone strike on Sunday against a vehicle threatening Kabul airport that had been linked to IS.

“There is no permission for them to do such operations... our independence must be respected,” the Taliban spokesperson said.

Islamic State has been highly critical of the troop withdrawal deal struck between the Taliban and Washington last year, which saw the Taliban offer security guarantees.

One IS commentary published after the fall of Kabul accused the Taliban of betraying jihadists with the US withdrawal deal and vowed to continue its fight, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant communications.

During the Taliban’s prison break spree this summer to free its fighters, many battle-hardened IS militants were also released - increasingly looking like a lethal error.

Although both groups are hardline Sunni Islamist militants, they have differed on the minutiae of religion and strategy, while each claiming to be the true flag-bearers of jihad.

In recent years, the IS Afghanistan-pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the attacks in those countries.

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