HOW THE TALIBAN FIGHTERS INTERACT WITH OTHER REGIONAL ISLAMIST GROUPS
The Taliban group (banned in the Russian Federation) that was established in 1994 to create an Islamic theocracy in Afghanistan, returned to power in the country in August 2021 with the participation of al-Qaeda. This group, which committed the largest terrorist attacks in world history on September 11, became the main beneficiary of the Taliban's takeover.
Al-Qaeda has about fourteen major divisions around the world, as well as dozens of indirect subsidiaries, boasting about 50,000 active fighters.
The second group that increased its presence in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power is the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, banned in the Russian Federation), which settled primarily in the eastern and southeastern regions of Afghanistan. The TTP originated in Waziristan in 2007 under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud. The number of its militants is estimated at about 5,000 people.
The third group present in Afghanistan is the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), whose two strongholds are located in Badakhshan province and Nuristan. The group includes ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks, but mostly represented by Chinese Uyghurs. Aslam Farooqi is believed to be the leader of the ETIM, although many foreign intelligence agencies, especially the Tajik security agencies, have received repeated reports of his death. ETIM currently has between 1,100 and 1,600 fighters, but according to some reports, their number has increased to over 2,000.
The fourth group is the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU, banned in the Russian Federation), which expanded its presence in Afghanistan after the second coming to power of the Taliban. The IMU became active in 1988 under the leadership of Tohir Yoldosh and currently has about 3,500 fighters, about half of whom are active.
The fifth group is Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT, banned in the Russian Federation), concentrated in the southeastern provinces of Afghanistan, especially in Khost, Kunar and Nangarhar. LeT first became active in 1986. The leader of the group is Hafiz Muhammad Said, who organized large-scale terrorist attacks in India, especially in Kashmir.
Stronger financial ties exist between the Taliban and various Bangladeshi jihadist groups, some of whose leaders have been invited to Khost province to participate in various activities. Harakat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, founded in 1985 and headed by Fazlur Rahman Khalil, and Jamaat-ul-Mujahedin Bangladesh, which has been active since 1998 under the leadership of Bangala Bhai, are prominent examples of organizations associated with the Taliban. These groups, comprising around 10,000 fighters, primarily work to destabilize Bangladesh and take resources to fight from the Afghan Taliban.
The trade routes that go through Afghanistan and its neighboring states contribute to the spread of the terrorist threat and make it virtually impossible to contain. In the case of ideological expansion, Pakistan, especially border areas such as Waziristan, will clearly succumb to “Talibanization” and from there the threat will spread to the rest of South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and beyond.