Afghanistan Content Report

April 20 – April 26, 2024

Please note that all items in this issue are concerning ISIS-K

Table of contents

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 440, Published April 25, 2024
2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter
3. ISIS Amaq Statements
4. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Message, Released April 24, 2024
5. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Pamphlet “The Army of Taghut,” Released April 22, 2024

Main points (Pro-ISIS online chatter)

• The Taliban have sent three intelligence officers to their embassy in New Delhi to coordinate with the Indian government.

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 440 Published April 25, 2024

• “10 killed and wounded among the Shiites and apostate Taliban members in a bombing by Caliphate soldiers in (Kabul).”

“Ten of the Rafidah and Taliban apostates were killed and wounded by a new bombing by the Caliphate soldiers during this week in the Afghan capital (Kabul). In the details, by the grace of God Almighty, on Saturday (Shawwal 11), the Caliphate soldiers detonated a bomb attached to a bus carrying a number of Rafidah apostates as it passed by a Taliban militia checkpoint in District 6 of the city of Kabul, which led to [the bus’s] destruction and the killing and wounding of about ten Shiite and Taliban members, praise be to God. The area where the last explosion occurred is one of the Rafidi areas that were targeted by the soldiers of the Caliphate with several similar attacks, which confirms the failure of the Taliban’s efforts to secure the Shiites from the strikes of the Mujahideen. Local pages circulated pictures of the destroyed mechanism and its parts scattered around the place.”

• “Destroying a Shiite bus by detonating a sticky bomb in District 6 in Kabul.”

• “Last week.”

“Last week, soldiers of the Caliphate in Khorasan Province detonated an explosive device on a fuel tanker belonging to the apostate Taliban militia, causing it to burn along with several other tanks north of the city of Kabul.”

2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter

• April 21: Pro-ISIS post on RocketChat stating that the Taliban abandoned their struggle after obtaining “money and positions.” The post claims that the Taliban have renounced the religious aspect of their fight.

“Alas, Muslims who fought the so-called Jihad for 20 years and when they got money and positions, now the hereafter has been forgotten. He enters and pleads with him [sic].”

• April 25: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that there was an unspecified “loud explosion in the sky” over Kabul. 

“#Afghanistan. A loud explosion in the sky of Kabul, originating from the sixth district of the city.”

• April 26: Pro-ISIS post on RocketChat claiming that the Taliban has sent three General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) officers to the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, disguised as diplomats. The post alleges that the GDI officers are in India to coordinate with the government there.

3. ISIS Amaq Statements

• April 20: ISIS claims to have killed and wounded ten people, identified as Shiites and Taliban soldiers, in Kabul when an explosive on a bus detonated at a Taliban checkpoint. 

“10 Shiites and Taliban apostates were killed and wounded in an explosion by the soldiers of the Caliphate in Kabul.

“By the Grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate detonated an explosive device on a bus carrying a number of apostate Shiites as it passed a Taliban militia checkpoint in District 6 of the city of Kabul, which led to its destruction and the killing and wounding of about 10 Shiites and Taliban members, and all praise and gratitude be to God.”

4. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Message, Released April 24, 2024

This is a message from the pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Media group calling for either migration to Khorasan province or, if migration is not possible, committing of attacks in one’s current place of residence. The message specifically urges the reader to “connect with the brothers in the Islamic State” to execute attacks such as the March 22 Moscow concert hall attack. The aspect of connecting suggests a level of coordination.

5. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Pamphlet “The Army of Taghut,” Released April 22, 2024

• A 506-page Pashto language pamphlet released from the pro-ISIS-K propaganda outlet al-Azaim.

Summary:

• The Taliban have attacked all Muslims.
• The majority of the efforts of disbelieving nations have been to prevent the enactment of religious law and the teachings of the true religion.
  • To do this, disbelieving nations, especially the U.S., have fooled people into thinking they [the nations] are generous and have supported aid projects and educational programs in the name of friendship.
  • In fact, they have used these programs to try to prevent the true teaching of religion.
  • The West and its agents have used fake religious schools and fake mujahideen to attract support. 
• There will always be a group of people who refuse to see the truth.
• ISIS freed prisoners in Nangarhar in August 2020, when the Taliban were congratulating themselves on defeating the group.
• Meetings between the Taliban and the U.S. in Qatar were not negotiations but were, in fact, the signing of deals and alliances. 
  • The U.S. gave the Taliban control of Afghanistan.
• The Taliban claim to be an emirate.
• While in control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have limited the implementation of religious law.
  • The Taiban interact with non-Muslim countries.
  • The Taliban are, in fact, not Islamic. They endorse patriotism. 
  • The Taliban receive money, intelligence information, and political assistance from their former enemies.
  • The Taliban have changed the borders in which they operate according to human-made concepts of borders.
  • The Taliban accepts international law and bank interest.
  • The Taliban have prejudices based on race and language.
  • If the Taliban were Islamic, why would they appoint “infidels and apostates” to leadership positions?
• 70 percent of the employees of the Ministry of Defense are from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan era.
  • They have not been reprimanded, and they have not been made to show remorse.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has not taken a stand when the U.S. or Pakistan have conducted military operations in Afghanistan, killing civilians.
  • The MFA will not admit that its policies have remained the same since it was part of the previous Afghan government, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is engaged in “secret affairs” with foreigners.
  • The MFA considers religious minorities to be “brothers” and ensures that they have places of worship in Afghanistan.
• The Taliban’s legal system is not based on the Quran but on the legal systems of other governments.
  • The Taliban do not force non-Muslims to pay a religious tax.
• The Taliban have not imposed a limit on the accumulation of wealth.
• Taliban leaders negotiating in Qatar were accompanied by women.
• Mullah Baradar, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and other Taliban leaders enjoyed themselves in Qatar, while others endured thirst and deprivation while fighting in the mountains.
• Taliban leaders are morally corrupt.
• Taliban courts are not Islamic.
• The spokesperson for the Takhar Province police force committed adultery, and then his paramour’s family was arrested. 
• The Taliban have made peace and entered into friendship with the infidels of the world.
  • This is not the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya (a 628 CE treaty between the Prophet Muhammad and leaders in Mecca).
  • The Taliban, in making peace, have taken advice from China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and India.
  • The Prophet Muhammad made peace with the people of Mecca but did not consider them friends. In contrast, the Taliban considers other countries to be friends.
  • Sirajuddin Haqqani even stated that the U.S. was not the Taliban’s enemy.
• The Prophet Muhammad, after making peace with the people of Mecca, did not ask them for additional assistance.
  • The Taliban have asked for billions of dollars in aid. 
• The Taliban protects religious minority groups and their ceremonies.
  • The Taliban have fought against Muslims and made alliances against them.
• The Taliban does not consider the governments of Iran and Pakistan to be infidels or apostates.
• The Taliban have sought to prevent attacks on the U.S. and Russia.
• The Taliban have sought to create a permanent peace with infidel states.
  • This permanence abandons the principle of religiously mandated fighting.
  • The pamphlet includes a multi-page discussion of how long peace treaties should last.
• The Taliban’s agreements with non-Muslim states are not permissible peace deals but an alliance against Muslims.
  • The Taliban have accepted the demands of the U.S., and therefore, the Taliban have submitted to America and become apostates.
• The Taliban have sought to create friendships with the U.S., China, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and India. 
  • The Taliban have congratulated Turkey on their elections.
  • The government of Pakistan is still the Taliban’s coach.
  • These acts are a violation of faith. The Taliban have accepted and befriended these other countries and, in doing so, have become just like them.
  • The UN and the West praise the Taliban for fighting a proxy war against ISIS-K.
• The Taliban make friends with the president of China, Xi Jinping, while his country persecutes the Uyghurs.
  • China is building factories in Afghanistan.
• The Taliban does not care that Indian politicians have insulted the honor of the Prophet Muhammad or that Indian police have beaten Muslim Indians who protested this insult.
  • The destruction of the Babri Masjid has been ignored.
  • The Taliban rebuild Sikh gurdwaras in Afghanistan that have been destroyed by ISIS-K.
• The Taliban have made peace with Iran.
• The Taliban have made peace with “Belgium, Norway, Israel, Great Britain, America, Ukraine, Russia, China, Canada, Japan, Germany, etc.”
• The Taliban have received money from the U.S. in exchange for their ongoing peace and friendship.
• Despite the prohibition on intoxicating substances, the Taliban have taxed hashish and opium poppies.
• Those who make friendships with disbelievers are hypocrites.
• The Taliban does not show hostility to infidel nations.
  • The U.S., under both Presidents Trump and Biden, praised the Taliban for fighting against ISIS-K.
• Sunnis cannot worship in Iran, yet Shiites can freely worship in Afghanistan.
• Uyghurs in China are treated like animals, but the Taliban pursue a friendship with the government of China.
• The Taliban are unbelievers because of their many crimes. 
• The Taliban system runs with the help of infidel nations and benefits them.
• The U.S. left behind military equipment so that the Taliban could use it to fight against ISIS-K.
• The Taliban’s faux Islamic system must be submitted to the U.S. for approval. 
• The Taliban publish a column in their magazine Al-Samud about the distribution of Western aid.
• The Taliban receive aid funding from the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Canada, Russia, India, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Pakistan, and others.
• The same people who support the killing of Muslims in Gaza then give money to the Taliban.
• The Taliban no longer publicly announce that they are receiving money weekly from the U.S. 
• India financially supports the Taliban.
  • Taliban soldiers have been sent to India to receive special training. 
  • India persecutes their Muslim population at home and supports the Taliban abroad.
• The U.S. was able to invade Afghanistan with the help of other states such as Pakistan, which offered the Shamsi Airfield; Turkey, which sent soldiers to Iraq and Syria; and Saudi Arabia, for unspecified reasons.
• Accepting aid from the Red Cross and UNICEF is forbidden.
• The Taliban allied with the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to fight ISIS-K.
  • U.S. drones targeted ISIS-K, while the Taliban sent ground forces.
  • ISIS-K fighters and their families who survived were imprisoned.
  • President Trump had decided to use the Taliban as pawns to fight against ISIS-K in Afghanistan. The Taliban received these orders during negotiations in Doha, Qatar.
• The Taliban’s continued protection of the U.S. from ISIS-K is a secret provision of the Doha Agreement. This is the real reason for the U.S.’s continued funding of the Taliban.
• The Taliban help China in their oppression of the Uyghurs.
  • China was afraid that ISIS would help liberate East Turkestan. 
• These actions of friendship are proof that the Taliban are apostates.
• One cannot be friends with those who should be your enemy.
• Praise for the ISIS-K attack on a Sikh temple in June 2022 in Kabul.
• Condemnation of Shiites.
• Accuses the Taliban and Deobandis in general of being bigoted towards other sects.
• The Taliban can only follow truth or falsehood. There is no middle ground, and they are clearly following falsehood.
• The Taliban are guilty of protecting unbelievers.
  • The Taliban’s disbelief is worse than previous Afghan governments because they claim to be an Islamic government.
• Mullah Yaqoob had announced an amnesty for members of the previous government.
  • The amnesty does not require the individual to repent.
  • The amnesty classifies the war as a problem that had to be solved and not religiously mandated fighting.
• If you do not call a disbeliever a disbeliever, you participate in their disbelief.
• The Taliban have only given death sentences to two or three people since taking power. (The Taliban had conducted four public executions by late February 2024.) These executions were considered revenge by the families who were wronged against the perpetrators.
  • These executions were an effort to hide the fact that religious law has not been implemented in Afghanistan.
  • Executions have only been carried out against those without financial resources.
• Legal decisions come from God and cannot be innovated or changed.
• The Taliban courted the Americans’ friendship in Qatar despite 20 years of war.
• The Taliban’s fight against the U.S. was not about religiously mandated conflict—it was about gaining power in Afghanistan.
  • The war was to impose international law on Afghanistan, and not religious law.
  • It was not a war between believers and unbelievers.
  • The benefits offered by the U.S. are viewed as positive by the Taliban.
• The current banks in Afghanistan are still those from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. 
  • The Taliban allows usury, which is a great sin.
• Non-religiously mandated taxes are unjust.