Afghanistan Content Report

February 15–21, 2025

Please note that all items in this issue concern ISIS-K

Table of contents

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 483, Published February 20, 2025
2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter
3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements

Main points (Pro-ISIS Online Chatter)

Afghanistan

• An explosion, detonated by unidentified individuals, targeted a Taliban special forces commander in Taloqan.
• An explosive detonated “in the middle of a popular Shiite market in the Mazar-i-Sharif area.”
• The Taliban fought with an unnamed group of militants in Lashkar Gah, Helmand.
• An explosive device wounded four Taliban soldiers in Kunduz.
• The Taliban Ministry of Education has ordered the closing of Salafi educational facilities in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
• A Taliban director of criminal investigations in Baghlan province, a 20-year veteran of the Taliban, was arrested under suspicion of working for ISIS-K.
• Taliban leaders requested that individuals use the postal system to request official documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, instead of going in person to request consular documents, due to the fear of ISIS-K attacks.
• Reuters noted that the Villach, Austria attacker might have had a connection to ISIS-K.
• In the last week, there were nine ISIS-K attacks in the Afghan provinces of Kabul, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Farah, and Badghis.
• The United Kingdom has rejected the asylum claims of “2,000 members of the Afghan special forces that Britain trained” in Afghanistan.
• The Taliban were accused of covering up the number of individuals killed in the attack on the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in Kabul on February 13.
• Taliban leaders celebrated the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution at the Iranian embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan

• Unidentified militants assassinated a cleric and political leader, Kashif Ali, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Unidentified individuals attacked Pakistani border forces in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing four and injuring three.
• Unidentified individuals attacked a vehicle belonging to the police chief of Quetta.

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 483, Published February 20, 2025

• “A new martyrdom operation inside one of the Taliban’s sovereign headquarters results in 10 deaths and injuries, including a senior official.”

“The soldiers of the Caliphate in Khorasan Province carried out a new martyrdom operation inside one of the Taliban militia’s sovereign headquarters in the capital of Kabul, which resulted in the killing and wounding of more than ten, including a senior official, which constituted a new security blow to the militia that repeatedly claimed the success of its war against the Mujahideen, especially since the latest operation came only two days after another martyrdom operation that claimed dozens of its members were killed and wounded in northern Afghanistan. The Mujahideen also killed a member of the Pakistani police and wounded an officer in two separate attacks near the border with Afghanistan.”

• “Martyrdom operation inside a Taliban sovereign headquarters.”

“In the details, with the grace of God Almighty, one of the knights of martyrdom, brother Abu Yousef Al-Ansari—may God Almighty accept him—set out on Thursday (14 Shaaban) towards the headquarters of the so-called ‘Ministry of Development’ affiliated with the apostate Taliban militia in District Nine of the city of Kabul. The martyr brother was able to pass the security procedures, and enter the headquarters before the start of the official working hours, and stay there in order to await his target. He detonated his explosive vest on several officials and guards inside the headquarters, which resulted in the killing and wounding of at least ten, including the ‘Deputy Minister,’ thanks be to God.”

• “Brother Abu Yousef Al-Ansari — may God accept him — since the martyrdom operation [sic] inside the ‘Development Ministry’ affiliated with the Taliban militia.”

• “Continuous contradictions and lies by the militia.”

“Following the attack, their [the Taliban’s] official statements avoided disclosing the fate of the officials who were killed or injured in the bombing, while some of this news leaked from ‘medical centers’ and local ‘news sites’ close to the bombing site. Despite the militia leaders’ declaration of the attack, the ‘Taliban’s interior spokesman’ had no qualms about repeating their worn-out lies that the Islamic State ‘does not exist at all in Afghanistan!’ This was despite the fact that the Mujahideen’s strikes reached the heart of their ‘ministerial’ headquarters in the capital, Kabul, and other cities. Such statements, which even their local media outlets contain, are intended to reassure the ‘international community,’ and America in particular, that the militia is still committed to its mission of ‘fighting terrorism.’”

• “Combating Terrorism.”

“The attack came in the context of several similar attacks targeting the militia’s sovereign headquarters and prominent leaders, the most recent of which occurred two months ago, in which one of the martyred mujahideen was able to overthrow the militia’s so-called ‘Minister of Refugees’ in the middle of his headquarters, along with a number of his assistants and guards, praise be to God.”

• “A Pakistani police officer was injured in an attack by the Mujahideen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter

• February 15: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that there was an unidentified explosion in Kunduz. 

“Urgent. A huge explosion rocks the Afghan city of Kunduz.”

• February 15: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that there was an unidentified explosion in the city of Taloqan, which was followed by “heavy gunfire.”

“Urgent. An explosion rocks the Taloqan area, the capital of the Afghan province of Takhar, followed by the sound of heavy gunfire.”

• February 15: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that the Taloqan explosion targeted “the commander of the Taliban special forces” and that an unknown number of people were injured.

“Urgent. Local sources: the Taloqan explosion targeted a dinner party for the militia leaders held by the commander of the Taliban special forces in his home. [The explosion] led to injuries in the initial toll.”

• February 15: Pro-ISIS post on Element claiming that the Taliban Ministry of Education has ordered the closing of Salafi educational facilities in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.

• February 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Taliban leaders celebrated the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution at the Iranian embassy in Kabul.

“Monitoring. Afghan Taliban militia leaders celebrate Khomeini’s revolution at the Iranian embassy in Kabul.”

• February 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the Taliban requested that individuals use the mail system for requesting official documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead of going in person to consular offices due to the fear of ISIS-K attacks. The post noted that the Taliban has repeatedly claimed to have defeated ISIS in Afghanistan, yet these attacks continue.

Text: “As the Taliban faces a wave of ISIS-K attacks targeting its ministries and banks, the group is working to implement additional measures to prevent or mitigate further incidents. The State Department [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] issued a statement today advising customers to avoid visiting its consular office for document processing and to use postal services instead. In 2023, an ISIS suicide bomber detonated explosive devices near the entrance to the ministry. Similarly, after a suicide attack targeting Taliban members standing in line to collect their salaries in Kandahar, the department instructed its fighters to avoid gathering in large numbers at banks, but when these precautions were ignored, ISIS-K carried out another suicide attack last week on Taliban members collecting their salaries at Kabul Bank in Kunduz.”

“Entertainment. The Taliban militia asked its members to communicate via email to avoid gatherings for fear of being targeted by terrorists. It is noteworthy that the Taliban militia announced 300,000 times that it had eliminated terrorists, just like the Shiite minority in Iraq.”

• February 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified “militants” assassinated a cleric and political leader, Kashif Ali, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Kashif Ali was the head of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) political wing and the brother-in-law of  LeT co-founder Hafiz Saeed. See https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/lashkar-e-taiba-leader-maulana-kashif-ali-shot-dead-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-1861734.

“Urgent. Militants assassinate a key leader of the Pakistan Muslim Democratic League [Pakistan Muslim League] (PML-N), Kashif Ali, in the Swabi district of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The government describes the incident as ‘terrorism.’”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Reuters noted that the Villach, Austria attacker might have had a connection to ISIS-K.

“Follow-ups. Reuters on the smiling attacker in Austria: We do not rule out that [the] terrorists in Afghanistan [ISIS-K] are behind it. What about the terrorists in Afghanistan? A global force capable of denying attacks worldwide despite his young age (29 years) [sic].

“Reuters: There are terrorist fighters who went from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the Pakistani government is taking measures to protect Fazal-ur-Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), from potential ISIS attacks.

“Follow-ups. Pakistani police take strict security measures to protect the leader of the Islamic Democratic Scholars Party [Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)], Fazal-ur-Rehman, for fear of being targeted by terrorists.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that “Iran is disturbed” by violence in Afghanistan. The post noted that Iranian leaders met with members of the Afghan opposition in Ankara, Turkey.

“Follow-ups. It seems that Iran is disturbed by the weakness of the Taliban in the face of terrorism. Senior Iranian leaders meet with a delegation from the Afghan opposition against the Taliban in the Turkish capital Ankara at a time when Iran has a strong relationship with the leaders of the Taliban Democratic Militia.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that in the last week, there were nine ISIS-K attacks in the Afghan provinces of Kabul, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Farah, and Badghis. The post noted that ISIS did not claim credit for all the attacks.

“Observers. During the past week, nine armed operations took place in Afghanistan. Terrorists announced some and others were unannounced, but local sources confirmed that terrorists were behind them. The operations took place in the provinces of Kabul, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Farah, and Badghis.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that there was an unidentified explosion at Kabul International Airport.

“Urgent. An explosion rocks Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that an explosive device wounded four Taliban soldiers in Kunduz.

“Urgent. An explosive device detonated targeting a Taliban militia patrol in the Afghan city of Kunduz, wounding four members, according to a preliminary toll.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that unidentified individuals attacked Pakistani border forces in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing four and injuring three. 

“Urgent. An armed attack targeted the border guard militia in Pakistan’s Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing four soldiers and wounding three others, according to preliminary toll.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that at a meeting in Iran between delegations from Iran, Russia, and Afghanistan, the parties noted that the Taliban would seek to keep the status quo, implement reforms to meet American requests, and prevent the growth of ISIS-K.

“Monitoring. A tripartite symposium was held in Tehran (Iranian-Russian-Afghan) to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The symposium came out with three points: The first is to keep the situation as it is. The second is for the Taliban militia to carry out ‘reforms’ in response to the Americans’ wishes. The third, which they fear, is chaos and the control of terrorists over the country. They added: The third point will greatly affect the regional environment of Afghanistan.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the United Kingdom has rejected the asylum claims of “2,000 members of the Afghan special forces that Britain trained” in Afghanistan. The post noted that the UK was willing to supply Afghan soldiers with equipment and train them but abandoned them. 

“Follow-ups. Britain announces its rejection of the asylum requests of 2,000 members of the Afghan special forces that Britain trained to fight terrorism in Afghanistan after they fled for fear of revenge from terrorists.

“In short, Britain abandoned them easily despite everything they did for them regarding [supplying] training and equipment. This is the fate of everyone who puts his hand in the hands of the invaders.”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the Taliban are covering up the number of individuals killed in the attack on the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in Kabul on February 13. The post claimed that the Taliban are announcing deaths every day, claiming that people died in accidents.

“#Report. #Important_Follow-up. Recently, after the bloody attack on the militia inside the Ministry of Urban Development [and Housing], the death of a high-ranking official or member of the [Taliban] militia is announced every day, giving the public the impression that they have died of their own accord. It is customary for militias to call their dead by the following names after heroic attacks:

“They crashed into a car.

“They were hit by gas.

“They were electrocuted.

“And so on... After the attack by government fighters, if you see such news, you should know that the bottom of the bowl is half the bowl!

“Due to the death of Shahid Mohammad Taib.

“The bodies of the militias are embarrassing the Lord on the bath table [sic].”

• February 17: Pro-ISIS post on Element stating that the Taliban have accused Pakistan of supporting ISIS-K in Afghanistan in the wake of six attacks in Kabul, Kunduz, Samangan, Takhar, and other provinces. The post claims that the Taliban have enlisted the support of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including the Pakistani Taliban, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, and others, to fight against ISIS-K.

• February 18: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that unidentified individuals attacked a vehicle belonging to the police chief of Quetta.

“Urgent. Armed attack targets the vehicle of a police chief in the Pakistani city of Quetta.”

• February 18: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that unidentified individuals injured a Taliban soldier in a grenade attack on a checkpoint in Bala Hisar, Kunduz.

“Urgent. A hand grenade attack targeted a Taliban checkpoint in the Bala Hisar area, which resulted in the injury of one member (as a preliminary result).”

• February 18: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified individuals killed seven passengers and wounded six in an attack on a bus travelling from Quetta to Multan. The post claims that Punjab province “is home to a large number of Hindus, Sikhs, and Shiites.”

“Urgent. Gunmen stopped a bus on the highway in the Radkan area of ​​​​Barkhan district in Balochistan, Pakistan, and killed seven passengers and injured six others. Note that the dead and wounded were travelling from Quetta to Multan in Punjab, and the motives for the attack are not yet known. Punjab is home to a large number of Hindus, Sikhs, and Shiites.”

• February 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that the Taliban fought with an unnamed group of militants in Lashkar Gah, Helmand. The post claimed that Taliban soldiers were killed because the group did not acknowledge the fight.

“Follow-ups. Local sources: Violent clashes took place at dawn today between gunmen and a Taliban force in the Safyan area of ​​Lashkar Gah in Helmand. The Taliban militia did not comment on the clash, which means that it suffered losses as usual.”

• February 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that an explosive detonated “in the middle of a popular Shiite market in the Mazar-i-Sharif area.”

“Urgent. An explosive device exploded in the middle of a popular Shiite market in the Mazar-i-Sharif area of ​​the Afghan province of Balkh.”

• February 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that following the killing of Khalil Haqqani, the former minister of refugees and repatriation, in December 2024, Taliban ministers are trying to conduct business from the safety of Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“#Report. Taliban officials have recently made a tough move on the UAE and Qatar! After the bloody attack on Khalil Haqqani inside the ministry [of Refugees and Repatriation], the Taliban ministers have been infected with a contagious disease that can only be cured in luxury hotels in Turkey, Qatar, and Dubai. Taliban officials are trying to find accommodations for themselves there so that in the future, like the U.S. embassy, ​​they can run the ministry from Qatar and Dubai.

“But the Taliban thieves have become even more powerful after the recent explosion inside the Ministry of Urban Development [and Housing], in which he and his deputy were fatally injured!”

• February 20: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that a Taliban director of criminal investigations in Baghlan province, a 20-year veteran of the Taliban, was arrested under suspicion of working for ISIS-K. The post claimed that trust within the Taliban has plummeted due to fear of ISIS-K sympathizers.

“A senior Taliban leader. He fought for 20 years with the Taliban. The Taliban appointed him as the director of criminal investigations in Baghlan. Today, the Taliban arrested him. The charge is that he secretly works for the terrorists. Observers in Afghanistan say that such events have caused a great shake-up in the ranks of the democratic [Taliban] movement, and trust between them has become zero or below.”

• February 20: Pro-ISIS post on Element regarding the Taliban’s rejection of International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction. See https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-withdraw-afghanistan-from-international-criminal-court/7981683.html.

3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements

• A Nashir statement from February 15 was included in the previous Afghanistan Content Report because it claimed responsibility for a February 13 attack.

   

• February 19: ISIS claims to have killed a Pakistani police officer in Mamund, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Khorasan Province—By the grace of God, the soldiers of the Caliphate targeted a Pakistani police officer in the village of Mamund in the Bajaur region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with pistol shots, killing him and seizing his rifle, praise be to Allah.”