Afghanistan faces surge in extremist networks under Taliban rule

Under Taliban control, Afghanistan is witnessing a continuous rise in extremist and terrorist activities, according to sources cited by Andrei Serenko, one of Russia’s leading experts on Afghanistan.

Data indicates that at least 12 new bases have appeared in the Taliban-run emirate over the past month. 

On average, three new sites for housing militants, operatives, and recruiters of the two most prominent international terrorist groups — al-Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS) — have been established each week.

Taliban authorities are either unable or unwilling to prevent this expansion, according to the sources.

Since the United States withdrew and the Taliban regained control in August 2021, Afghanistan has remained unstable, with multiple extremist groups maintaining a presence and exploiting governance gaps left by the Afghan government’s collapse.

Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (IS‑KP) has evolved into a persistent threat, especially by launching attacks and attempting to assert itself as a distinct, rival force to the Taliban while undermining security in remote provinces.

A United Nations monitoring report found that more than 20 international and regional terrorist organisations, including al‑Qaeda, IS‑KP, and others, continue to operate inside Afghanistan, with some militants integrated into local security forces and others focusing on regional expansion.

By Jeyhun Aghazada