ISI backing small jihadi outfits in Afghanistan to hinder Taliban says report

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s ISI is sponsoring and putting together an alliance of smaller jihadi groups in Afghanistan, distinct from the Taliban and the ISKP, according to a new report. These new jehadists are distinguished by their even more extreme ideology and apparently undermine the Taliban.
A new report in Foreign Policy says the Islamic Invitation Alliance (IIA) has been funded by the ISI and was created in 2020, and has been on the radar of US intelligence for over a year. At the time, the idea was to ensure the Taliban’s victory. But now, this alliance is apparently being used to undermine the Taliban.
The intensification of internal factional fights within the Taliban may be coming to a head in the coming weeks as per assessment shared by the group of national security czars who were in Delhi this week for the NSAs’ dialogue. Most of the discussions were behind closed doors but the group reached some key understandings on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. In fact, the seriousness of the situation is believed to be much more grave than is being publicly reported or acknowledged.
The anxiety levels in the region are rising, with the participating countries unanimously describing the past 20 years as a “failure”. Despite many of the participants remaining engaged with the Taliban, there is little trust in the regime at present. “There was a consensus that the Taliban would have to gain internal legitimacy first before external recognition,” said a participant. It's unlikely that would happen peacefully. There is an expectation of a power struggle between the Doha group led by Mullah Baradar and the more extreme Haqqani group â€" one perceived to be close to the US and the other considered to be close to Pakistan.
The top concerns shared by the NSAs were first, refugee flows from Afghanistan, which could export the Taliban ideologies into their countries as well as rampant proliferation of weapons left behind after the US withdrawal.

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