ANOTHER devastating bombing in Afghanistan — this time occurring in the western city of Herat — highlights the fragile state of affairs in the Taliban-run country. The apparent target was a vocal pro-Taliban cleric, Mujibur Rahman Ansari, who was killed by a suicide bomber during Friday prayers. At least 18 people perished in the attack. While no group has claimed credit for the bombing, suspicions have centred on the militant Islamic State group, which is active in Afghanistan, as the slain preacher had received threats from the terrorist group. This is the second high-profile religious personality to have been targeted; last month IS admitted to having assassinated Rahimullah Haqqani in his Kabul madressah. Haqqani, who was a relatively liberal cleric in the Afghan context, also had close links with the ruling Taliban, while he had been outspoken in his criticism of IS. Days after Haqqani’s killing, over 20 people died in a Kabul mosque bombing.

When the Afghan Taliban stormed to power a year ago, one of their ‘unique selling points’ was that they had pacified the war-torn country. This was true to an extent, as with the exit of the US-supported government and its foreign protectors, the war in Afghanistan effectively ended. However, as the aforementioned incidents indicate, the country is far from being fully pacified. The fact is that the threat IS poses to internal Afghan stability, as well as regional and global security, cannot be understated. What is particularly worrying about the Herat attack — if it is indeed traced back to IS — is the fact that the self-styled caliphate has struck far from its core area in the east of Afghanistan. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the Taliban, as well as the international community, to deal with — and neutralise — the IS threat before it transforms into a multi-headed monster. The Taliban may be rigid in their outlook, and their lack of progress in the human rights sphere is holding up international recognition of their rule. However, if IS were to make prominent gains in Afghanistan, the international community would be left dealing with a major security headache. That is why foreign states, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbours, need to establish a working relationship with the Taliban to get rid of the IS threat, while Kabul’s rulers themselves need to play a more proactive role in preventing the terrorist group from gaining further strength in the country.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2022