Afghanistan Content Report

May 4  – May 10, 2024

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

Table of contents

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 442, Published May 9, 2024
2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter
3. ISIS Amaq Statements
4. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Web Magazine “Voice of Khorasan” Issue 35, Released on May 7, 2024 

Main points (Pro-ISIS online chatter)

• A Taliban military patrol was attacked in Faizabad, Badakhshan, resulting in the killing or wounding of 12 people.
• Unknown individuals in Kabul have committed attacks.
• The Taliban and the government of Pakistan have each accused the other of not cracking down on terrorist groups operating from their respective territories.

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 442 Published May 9, 2024

• “12 dead and wounded from the apostate Taliban militia in a bombing of Caliphate soldiers in Khorasan.”

“12 members of the apostate Taliban militia were killed or wounded by an explosion by Caliphate soldiers targeting their patrol in the Badakhshan region in northern Afghanistan. In the details, by the grace of God Almighty, on Wednesday (Shawwal 29), the Caliphate soldiers detonated an explosives-laden motorcycle on an apostate Taliban militia patrol in the city of Faizabad in the Badakhshan region, which led to about 12 deaths and injuries and the damage to a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Praise and blessings be to God. The Taliban admitted the killing or wounding of only eight fighters, as is their habit of underestimating the toll of their losses. Local media published pictures of the targeted mechanism. 

“The city of Faizabad, the center of the Badakhshan region, witnessed specific operations by the soldiers of the Caliphate, the most notable of which [in June 2023] was the killing of the apostate ‘deputy governor of the region’ called Nizar Ahmad Ahmadi, along with a number of his companions, by detonating a parked car bomb, followed by carrying out a martyrdom operation on a mass gathering. During his memorial service, about 70 Taliban, including leaders, were killed or wounded, praise be to God.”

• “Taliban militia vehicle after it was targeted by a bike bomb explosion in the city of Faizabad.”

• “Last week.”

“Last week, the soldiers of the Caliphate in Khorasan Province killed seven people and wounded a number of the ranks of the apostate Shiites in an armed attack on their temple in the Herat region in western Afghanistan.”

2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter

• May 5: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that there was an unknown explosion in Kabul.

“#Urgent. An explosion was heard in Kabul.”

• May 5: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the explosion was in the Kabul neighborhood of Shahrak-e Aria.

“#Urgent. An explosion occurred in the suburbs surrounding the city of Shahrak-e Aria.”

• May 5: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming to show a photo of the explosion in Kabul. The image is actually from an attack in Kabul on September 8, 2020.

“#Urgent. A picture of an explosion near the 10th Security Zone in the city of Kabul.”

• May 7: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that “there was an explosion and shooting in Kabul.”

“#Urgent. There was an explosion and shooting in Kabul.”

• May 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that Pakistan has accused the Taliban of allowing Afghanistan to “become a stronghold for terrorists” who threaten regional security. The post claims that the Taliban have reversed the accusation against Pakistan, accusing them of allowing terrorist groups in their territory to threaten neighboring states. 

“#News. The exchange of accusations between the Taliban militia and the government of Pakistan, where the Pakistani government claims that Afghanistan has become a stronghold for terrorists who depart from it to neighboring countries, while the Taliban militia responds that Pakistan is a stronghold for terrorists and from there terrorism spreads to neighboring countries.”

• May 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that a bombing hit a Taliban military convoy in “northeastern Afghanistan,” killing 24 people.

“#Urgent. A bombing in northeastern Afghanistan targeted a Taliban military convoy, killing 24 and wounding others.”

• May 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming to show photos from the attack on a Taliban convoy in Badakhshan.

“#Urgent. Pictures of the targeted column [sic].”

• May 8: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that at least seven Taliban soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded in the attack on a Taliban patrol in Faizabad, Badakhshan.

“#Urgent. An explosion targeted a Taliban military patrol in the Faizabad city area in Badakhshan, killing 7 [Taliban] members and wounding 14 others, according to an initial toll.”

• May 10: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that a Taliban spokesperson and head of the Afghan embassy in Qatar, Mohammad Naeem Wardak, praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “the most prominent Muslim scholar.” 

“#Entertainment. Taliban: Erdogan is the most prominent Muslim scholar”

3. ISIS Amaq Statements

• May 8: ISIS claims to have killed or wounded 12 people in an attack on a Taliban patrol in Faizabad, Badakhshan Province, using a motorcycle equipped with explosives.  

“12 from the apostate Taliban militia killed [or] wounded in a bombing of Caliphate soldiers in Khorasan.  

“By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate detonated a motorcycle [equipped] with explosives on a patrol of the apostate Taliban militia in the city of Faizabad in the Badakhshan region, which led to 12 people being killed [or] wounded, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle was damaged, Praise be to God.”

4. Pro-ISIS Al-Azaim Web Magazine “Voice of Khorasan” Issue 35, Released on May 7, 2024

Summary

Article 1: The Ruling on Sorcerers and the Position of the Taliban

• Tyrannical governments have modified religious law to suit their own needs.
  • Democratic systems have also claimed to be religious but are not.
• The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan “is made up of Rawafidh [derogatory term for Shiites], secularists, communists, and Sufi polytheists.”
• The Taliban claimed to have punished a “sorcerer” in Jawzjan Province by sentencing him to eight years in prison. 
  • Others accused of sorcery have been sentenced to prison terms or released without charge.
  • The article offers different interpretations of whether those who practice or teach “magic” are disbelievers.
• Killing sorcerers is obligatory because they spread corruption.
  • Allowing sorcerers to go unpunished upends the social order.
  • The article offers religious justifications for the killing of “sorcerers.”
• In sentencing a “sorcerer” to prison, the Taliban has decided to follow human-made and not divine religious law.
  • This is similar to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Libya, which have anti-sorcery laws with accompanying prison sentences but do not prescribe the death penalty.
• The Taliban does not follow guidelines for religiously mandated punishment.
  • As such, the Taliban are nonbelievers.
  • Those who follow these altered laws have renounced their religion.

Infographic 1: “Dog Nests: International Relations with the Taliban”

Article 2: Whatever You Condemn, You Pay with Condemnation!

• An article condemning Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria.
  • The article accuses HTS of deviance and of corrupting Syrians.
  • HTS is accused of meting out secular, not religious, punishments and allowing the secret consumption of alcohol and the open consumption of tobacco products.
• ISIS is described as following the correct path.

Infographic 2: Kufr is One Nation

Article 3: The Hidden Enemy of the Ummah: Comfort

• This article is specifically intended to be for women.
• The article focuses on the importance of abandoning comfort and devoting oneself wholly to good deeds, charity, and religiously mandated fighting.
• The article condemns the accumulation of worldly goods.

Article 4: Sibling Quarrel 

• The article accuses the Shiites of being treacherous.
  • Shiite anti-American and anti-Israel slogans are not genuine and are only used for their political benefits.
• The article blames Shiites for betraying Sunnis throughout history, including allegedly promoting the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. 
• The lack of direct conflict between Iran and Israel is proof that this is a fight between siblings. 
  • The two countries exchanged messages before their attacks, proving their hostility towards one another is fake. 
• While Iran has mercy towards Israel, they have helped massacre Sunnis in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.
• The West does not want to destroy Iran because the latter has helped in the fight against ISIS.
• One should fight under the banner of faith and not nationalism.

Infographic 3: Lesson

Article 5: Hikmah

• A story about divine punishments for those who abandon their faith, lie, commit adultery, and take advantage of others through usury.

Article 6: Wasat Ummah

• The article condemns the asceticism of early Christianity and the extensive land holdings of the church.
• The Enlightenment in Europe was a response to the excesses of “priestly immorality, centuries of witch hunts, the bubonic plague, Church-supported feudal tyranny, and Catholic-Protestant wars.”
• The Enlightenment led to humanism, materialist philosophy, capitalism, consumerism, and secularism. 
• Colonialism imposed these values on people all around the world.
• Enlightenment philosophy is blasphemous.
• The article positions Islam as avoiding the problems of early Christianity and the consumerism brought by the Enlightenment.
• The article promotes fighting in the name of religion.
• Every quotidian act has a spiritual impact.

Article 7: Heroes of Islam: Abu Ubaydah Ibn al-Jarrah 

• Abu Ubaydah Ibn al-Jarrah was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and aided him in battle during the Battle of Uhud near Medina. 
• He served as the governor of areas in present-day Syria and Israel.
• Abu Ubaydah was a trusted emissary of the Prophet Muhammad and was pious and generous.
• The article states that Abu Ubaydah did not fight for his tribe or democracy but on behalf of spreading religion.

Infographic 4: O Muwahhid Brother!

Article 8: On the Path of Being a Faithful Servant 3

• An article about following what is described as the correct religious path.
• Modern society is corrupt.
• People let themselves be controlled by societal expectations and betray their religious obligations.
• Religious doctrine cannot be changed.

Article 9: If Not Now, Then When? (2)

• Operations security (OPSEC) is essential for fighting and protecting oneself online.
• Bad OPSEC leads to battlefield losses, which makes fighting unappealing, while good OPSEC leads to victory, resulting in more recruits.
• Advice to those preparing to travel to ISIS-held territory:
  • Obedience to your emir is essential in all situations.
  • Lock your phone, cover the camera, disable the Bluetooth and microphone, hide the Telegram app, and be careful while sending or receiving files.
  • Only travel with two or three people you trust, or travel alone.
  • If you have recently converted, only take religious advice and texts from ISIS-endorsed scholars.
  • Prayer is essential for good outcomes.
  • Do not visit the same place more than once. 
  • Hide suspicious documents on your phone, and fill your phone with junk files.
• Always be alert and delete sensitive data from your phone.
  • Avoid extravagant clothes when traveling.
  • Gather as much information as possible.

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