Afghanistan Content Report

September 7–13, 2024

Please note all items in this issue concern ISIS-K

Table of contents

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 460, Published September 12, 2024
2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter
3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements
4. Amaq Photos Released September 12, 2024
5. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster (Urdu) Released on September 7, 2024
6. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster (Urdu) Released on September 11, 2024
7. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster Released on September 13, 2024

Main points (Pro-ISIS online chatter)

• September 12 ISIS-K massacre, between Daikandi and Ghor provinces in central Afghanistan, of Hazara Shiites who were returning from a pilgrimage to Karbala.
• Attacks on Pakistani police officers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who have been protesting the lack of security for police personnel and the alleged interference of the armed forces in local law enforcement matters.

• The Taliban alleged that 16 ISIS fighters left bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and were headed towards Kandahar.

   

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 460, Published September 12, 2024

• “Seven Pakistani policemen and a mukhtar [village leader] injured in two Mujahideen bombings in Khorasan Province.”

“The soldiers of the Caliphate in Khorasan Province injured seven members of the apostate Pakistani police and one of the apostate mukhtars and killed one of his guards in two separate bombings that took place this week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.”

• “Mukhtar injured and his guard killed.”

“In the details, with the grace of Allah Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate on Sunday (5 Rabi’ al-Awwal) detonated an explosive device on the mukhtar’s vehicle in the village of Karikot in the Waziristan region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which led to its damage, his injury, and the death of one of his guards. Local media published pictures of the mukhtar’s vehicle after it was targeted. It is noteworthy that the role of the mukhtars in some villages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not limited to cooperating with the Pakistani government in gathering information—they also have local armed militias supported by the apostate government.”

• “The mukhtar’s vehicle after being targeted by an explosive device in the village of Karikot in the Waziristan region.”

• “Seven Pakistani police officers injured.”

“In the same village of Karikot, the soldiers of the Caliphate targeted on Monday (6 Rabi` al-Awwal) a vehicle of the apostate Pakistani police by detonating an explosive device, which led to its damage and the injury of seven officers, praise be to God. Following the explosion, officers of the apostate police went out in demonstrations demanding their protection!”

• “Last week.”

“Dozens of Taliban apostate militia members were killed and wounded in a martyrdom operation carried out by the soldiers of the Caliphate last week in the capital of Kabul that targeted employees of the so-called public prosecutor, which includes judges, prosecutors, investigators, and others involved in fighting Muslim prisoners.”

2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter

• September 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified attackers murdered two people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The victims are identified as the brothers of a police officer.

“#Urgent. An armed attack targeted two people, brothers of a police officer, one of whom works as a station officer in the Lakki Marwat area of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which led to their immediate death.”

• September 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that a village leader was wounded in an attack on his vehicle in Waziristan and that one of his guards was killed in the attack. ISIS took credit for the attack the same day. 

“#Urgent. An explosive device exploded, targeting the vehicle of a mukhtar [village leader] in the south of the Pakistani region of Waziristan, which resulted in the injury of the mukhtar and the death of his guard.

“Photos of the vehicle + the mukhtar + the person that was killed.”

• September 9: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that Taliban soldiers from Kandahar circulated a memo declaring that 16 ISIS fighters were leaving bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan province to travel to Kandahar through Helmand province.

“#Monitoring. A secret telegram from the leadership of the Kandahar Security Forces in the Taliban militia shows that the militia has entered a state of alert after receiving information about the presence of terrorist bases and camps in the Pakistani Balochistan province, specifically in the Khuzdar area.

“According to the secret document, a group of 16 fighters is trying to enter Afghanistan, led by Commander Qasim Baghban, Mansoor Ansari, and Jalal Qureshi, through Helmand province and then reach Kandahar province. The Taliban instructed the militia members to try to arrest the group if they try to enter Kandahar.”

• September 10: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that “a journalist specializing in Afghan affairs” noted the increase in ISIS operations in South Waziristan. 

Text: “The Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K) has claimed two attacks in two days in South Waziristan, where the group has had little presence and where IS has claimed sporadic attacks for years. That this is a repeat in an area that is a [Pakistani] Taliban stronghold is telling.”

“#Follow ups. A journalist specializing in Afghan affairs indicates the expansion of terrorist operations to the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, which is a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban militia.”

• September 11: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that an unidentified individual killed a Pakistani police officer in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The post states that “he will not demonstrate from today onwards,” referencing protests by police officers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the killing of law enforcement personnel by militants and the presence of the Pakistani army in the area. 

“#News. A gunman attacked a Pakistani police officer in Bajaur, killing him instantly. He will not demonstrate from today onwards.”

• September 11: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that a police officer was killed and four others were wounded after a police vehicle in Mamund, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was attacked with explosives. 

“#Urgent. An explosion targeted a Pakistani police vehicle in the Mamund area of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing an officer and wounding four others. They will not demonstrate after today.”

• September 11: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that there was an unidentified explosion in Kabul.

“#Urgent. News about hearing the sound of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan.”

• September 11: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that some Taliban leaders are resigning or defecting and joining ISIS-K. The text that the post refers to note that an ethnic Uzbek member of the Taliban, Qari Salahuddin Ayubi, resigned from his position following his demotion, conflict with Pashtun Taliban members, and allegedly not being invited to meet with Hibatullah Akhundzada when he visited the area and met with Uzbek Taliban members.

Text: “The senior leader of the Uzbek Taliban movement, Qari Salahuddin Ayubi, resigned from all his posts and announced his withdrawal from the Taliban government. Previously, he served as the chief of police in Zabul province. In his official resignation letter, he referred to family difficulties and the death of his father, which seems to be an official reason. Let us recall that in 2022, Ayubi came into conflict with the Pashtun Taliban movement, who were transferred to his home province of Faryab. Due to a conflict of interest, they accused him of belonging to the Islamic State, and he was arrested, but he was later released and exiled to a government position in Zabul province, where he did not have such influence. That leader [unclear who this is referring to], according to a number of sources, is now in Faryab province and is not in contact with the authorities. The reason for this is the ongoing internal conflict of interests between the Taliban, among whom Ayubi found an enemy in the person of the Prime Minister of the Taliban. He was also unhappy that the Pashtun Taliban were stealing land in the Turkic-populated parts of the country. The last straw may have been the visit of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to the north of the country, where he met with several Uzbeks but did not invite Ayub, apparently fearing him, because the Taliban leader suffers from paranoia about possible plots.” 

“Disagreements are hitting the Taliban ranks and leading leaders to flee or find the right path and defect and then join the ranks of terrorism.”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that unidentified gunmen forced the family of a police officer out of their home in the Pakistani city of Lakki Marwat and then destroyed the house with explosives. The post claimed that the police officer left his family behind and fled. 

“#Follow-ups. Video: In the Iraqi way, gunmen take the family of a Pakistani police officer, Ghulam Muhammad Khan, out of the house in the Lakki Marwat area, [and] then blow up the house.

“The officer fled and left his family.”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that a Pakistani police officer was killed in a terrorist attack in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The post noted that police are striking to protest regional insecurity and the “escalation of killings among their ranks by terrorists.” 

“#Urgent. A terrorist attack targeted another Pakistani police officer in the Bannu area of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing him instantly.

“It is noteworthy that the police declared a strike in the area in protest against the lack of security and the escalation of killings among their ranks by terrorists.

“It is also noteworthy that the police’s mission is to provide security :)”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Shiites returning to Afghanistan from Karbala, Iraq, were attacked. ISIS claimed this massacre the same day. 

“#Urgent. Attack in Afghanistan targets convoys of Rafidah [a derogatory term for Shiites] returning from Karbala.”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram with an updated number of individuals killed or wounded in the massacre of Shiites returning to Afghanistan from Karbala. 

“#Update. The death toll of the Rafidah rose to 17, with a new death toll.

“11 deaths.

“Six injured.”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that the attack on Shiite religious pilgrims returned to Afghanistan from Karbala, Iraq, was proof of the “unity” of ISIS in both countries and the inability of the Taliban to provide protection. 

“This is the unity of the fronts that the terrorists were able to form.

“Whoever thought that he would visit Karbala safely and return under the protection of the Taliban will not escape the hands of the terrorists—if not in Iraq, then in Afghanistan.”

• September 12: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that the Taliban are “participating in Pakistan’s war against terrorism by providing information and exchanging detainees.” The post noted that the Taliban are allied with al-Qaeda and have accused the Pakistani government of supporting ISIS-K. 

“#Follow-ups. The Taliban militia, allies of al-Qaeda, which accuses the terrorists of being supported by the Pakistani government, is participating in Pakistan’s war against terrorism by providing information and exchanging detainees.”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram mocking the Iranian government for condemning the ISIS-K attack in Ghor province against Hazara Shiites. The post notes that 2024 began with the Kerman bombings. 

Text: “Statement from the Iranian embassy in Kabul. The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the martyrdom of a group of Afghan Shiites at the hands of the brutal terrorist group ISIS. It prays to God to grant the martyrs and the survivors patience and solace.”

“#Update. The Iranian government issues a statement dripping with pain and regret over the killing of Afghan Shiites at the hands of terrorists.

“It wants to punish them, and it opened the year with a terrorist slap that it will not forget until it is forgotten [sic].”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram adding former Afghan president Hamid Karzai’s condemnation of the massacre of Shiites by ISIS-K. 

Text: “Karzai described yesterday’s attack on Hazara civilians in Daykundi as a ‘terrorist’ and ‘anti-Islamic’ act. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack on the people of Daykundi, calling it a ‘terrorist, anti-human, and anti-Islamic act.’” 

“#Update. Condemnation statements continue for the Daykundi terrorist operation against Shiite pilgrims in Afghanistan.

“This time from Karzai (servant of NATO), who lives under the protection of the Taliban militia.

“The Iranian government issues a statement dripping with pain and regret over the killing of Afghan Shiites at the hands of terrorists.

“It wants to punish them, and it opened the year with a terrorist slap that it will not forget until it is forgotten.”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram, including photos of Pakistani police officers protesting in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.   

“#Entertainment. Pakistani police officers and soldiers demonstrate in Bajaur city to demand protection from terrorist attacks.

“Photos from today.”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram mocking the Taliban for offering condolences to the Shiite community following the September 12 massacre.

“#Entertainment. Taliban militia, in a statement dripping with sadness and pain, condemns the attack against Shiite visitors to Karbala and offers condolences to them.”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the headless body of an officer from the Pakistani Counter-Terrorism Service was found near Baran Dam in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

“#Urgent. The body of an officer of the elite forces of the Pakistani Counter-Terrorism Service named Fahimullah was found without a head near the Baran Dam in the Bannu area of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

• September 13: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that an attack targeting protesting Pakistani police officers in Bajaur killed three and injured an unknown number.

“#Urgent. An armed attack targeting Pakistani police demonstrators in Bajaur led to the death of three police officers and the injury of others.

“It is noteworthy that Pakistani police officers and personnel held a demonstration today demanding their protection from terrorist attacks.”

3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements

• September 8: ISIS claims to have wounded a village leader from Karikot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and killed one of his guards in an attack on his vehicle using an explosive device. 

“[In] Khorasan Province, by the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate detonated an explosive device on the vehicle of a mukhtar [village leader] in the village of Karikot in the Waziristan region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which led to its damage, his injury, and the death of one of his guards, praise be to God.”

• September 9: ISIS claims to have wounded seven Pakistani police officers in an attack on a vehicle in Waziristan. 

“Seven Pakistani policemen injured in an explosion by ISIS in Khorasan Province.

“By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the caliphate detonated an explosive device on a vehicle of the apostate Pakistani police in the village of Wana in the Waziristan region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which led to [it being] damaged and the injury of seven members, praise and thanks be to God.”

• September 12: ISIS claims to have killed 15 Shiites and wounded six in an attack in Ghor province. Please note: the attack targeted Hazaras traveling back to Daykundi province after visiting Shiite shrines in Karbala, Iraq. Please see: https://www.kiro7.com/news/world/gunmen-kill-14/XAPIOOV7F5HETLPFQN3ESVDCGU/ 

“15 Rafidis killed and six others injured in an attack by the Caliphate soldiers in central Afghanistan.

“Khorasan Province. By the grace of God Almighty, the Caliphate soldiers targeted a group of apostate Rafidis in the village of Qariodal between the provinces of Daykundi and Ghor in central Afghanistan with machine guns, which led to the killing of 15 Rafidis and the injury of six others, praise be to God.”

4. Amaq Photos Released September 12, 2024

On September 12, ISIS’s Amaq News outlet released a series of six photos that show the execution of Shiite Hazaras in Ghor province. ISIS took credit for the attack, in which 15 people were killed and six were wounded while traveling back to Daikundi province.

5. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster (Urdu) Released on September 7, 2024

Summary: The West previously called the Taliban terrorists, but once they started working together in Afghanistan, this description vanished.  The Taliban sacrificed their al-Qaeda allies to appease the West and receive money. The Taliban used to revel in being called terrorists by the U.S., and now they are fighting a war against terrorism—against ISIS-K.

6. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster (Urdu) Released on September 11, 2024

Summary: The Taliban are hypocrites. They claim to oppose disbelievers, yet they also want good relations with all countries and promise them safety within Afghanistan. For two decades, the Taliban have lied, claiming that they were fighting to impose religious law. After taking power, they abandoned this position, became nationalists, and instituted secular law.

7. ISIS-K Linked Al-Azaim Poster Released on September 13, 2024

A poster celebrating the September 12 massacre of Hazara Shiites, asking how they can be protected by the Taliban when the Taliban are unable to defend themselves.