Abstract
Notwithstanding an existential crisis, which has wracked its operations following the announcement of the death of its supreme leader Mullah Omar, the Taliban-led insurgency remains a potent force drawing their sustenance from a wide range of sources both within Afghanistan as well as outside. Not only has it been able to withstand the military prowess of a vast coalition of international forces for a decade and half but also it has grown in strength by coalescing with large number of anti-government elements and criminal networks in the Afghanistan–Pakistan (Af-Pak) region. The advent of the Islamic State (IS) has added an interesting competitive dimension for area domination between these groups resulting in a surge in violence levels. As the attempts to co-opt elements within the Taliban insurgency through peace deals and negotiations intensifies, the anti-talk constituency within the insurgency has demonstrated its capacity to scuttle such peace processes. Regional power politics, local political opportunism and criminal aspirations of individual groups will continue to inject life into the insurgency.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Afghan Zariza
. (2015 , July 21 ). Emergence of Islamic State in Afghanistan forces U.S. military leadership to review drawdown plan . Afghan Zariza . Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://www.afghanzariza.com/2015/07/21/emergence-of-islamic-state-in-afghanistan-forces-us-military-leadership-to-review-drawdown-plan
2.
Ahady , Anwar-ul-Haq . (1999 ). Saudi Arabia, Iran and the conflict in Afghanistan . In
William
Maley
(Ed.), Fundamentalism reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban (pp. 125 –126 ). London : Hurst & Company .
3.
Ahmad , Jibran . (2015 , August 4 ). New Taliban leader facing tension as top official quits . Reuters . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/04/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKCN0Q90SR20150804
4.
Boyer , Dave . (2015 , July 30 ). Islamic State ‘growing’ in Afghanistan: Watchdog . The Washington Times . Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/islamic-state-growing-afghanistan-watchdog/
5.Byrne , Hannah Krzyzaniak , John Khan , Qasim 2015 , August 17 ). The death of Mullah Omar and the rise of ISIS in Afghanistan . Institute for the Study of War . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Mullah%20Omar%20Backgrounder.pdf
6.
D’Souza , Shanthie Mariet . (2009 ). Taking stock of the Afghan conflict: External–internal dimensions . In
V.
Krishnappa
,
Shanthie Mariet
D’Souza
&
Priyanka
Singh
Saving Afghanistan (pp. 113 –114 ). New Delhi : Academic Foundation .
7.
D’Souza , Shanthie Mariet . (2011 , July 27 ). Shanthie Mariet D’Souza: President Karzai of Afghanistan wants tighter ties with neighboring Iran. How tight? And why? Al Arabiya . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2011/07/27/159603.html
8.
Giustozzi , Antonio . (2008 ). Koran, Kalashnikov and laptop: The neo-Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan . New York, NY : Columbia University Press .
9.
Hairan , Abdulhadi . (2010 , April 3 ). A profile of the Taliban’s propaganda tactics . Huffington Post . Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abdulhadi-hairan/a-profile-of-the-talibans_b_442857.html
10.
Johnson , Kay . (2015 , February 18 ). In Afghanistan’s deadliest year, battles, not bombs, top killer of civilians . Reuters . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/us-afghanistan-war-idUSKBN0LM09F20150218
11.
Jones , Seth G. (2008 ). Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan (Vol. 4 ). Arlington, VA : RAND Counterinsurgency Study .
12.Khan , Mohammad Zubair Crilly , Rob 2015 , July 31 ). Mullah Omar’s son says he cannot support new Taliban leader . The Telegraph . Retrieved 9 October 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/11776796/Mullah-Omars-son-says-he-cannot-support-new-Taliban-leader.html
13.
Maley , William . (2006 ). Rescuing Afghanistan (p. 21 ). London : Hurst & Company .
14.
Moreau , Ron . (2013 , June 12 ). The Taliban’s new role as Afghanistan’s drug mafia . Newsweek . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.newsweek.com/2013/06/12/talibans-new-role-afghanistans-drug-mafia-237524.html
15.NATO Parliament Assembly . (n.d. ). Preparing the Afghan National Security Forces for transition . NATO Parliament Assembly . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=2084
16.Nordland , Rod Goldstein , Joseph 2015 , October 11 ). Afghan Taliban’s reach is widest since 2001, U.N. says . The New York Times . Retrieved 12 October 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-united-nations.html?
17.
Osman , Borhan . (2015 , September 30 ). The fall of Kunduz: What does it tell us about the strength of the post-Omar Taleban? Afghanistan Analysts Network . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/the-fall-of-kunduz-what-does-it-tell-us-about-the-strength-of-the-post-omar-taleban/
18.
Peikar , Farhad . (2015 , May 22 ). Why did the Taliban go to Tehran? The Guardian . Retrieved 12 October 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/may/22/taliban-delegation-official-visit-tehran-iran-isis
19.
Peters , Gretchen . (2009 , August ). How opium profits the Taliban . Washington, DC : United States Institute of Peace . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/resources/taliban_opium_1.pdf
20.
Peters , Gretchen, S. (2009 ). The Taliban and the opium trade . In
Antonio
Giustozzi
(Ed.), Decoding the new Taliban: Insights from the Afghan field (pp. 8 –9 ). New Delhi : Foundation Books .
21.
Qazi , Shereena . (2015 , August 3 ). Profile: Mullah Akhtar Mansoor . Al Jazeera . Retrieved 12 October 2015, from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/profile-mullah-akhtar-mansoor-150803174828504.html
22.
Raghavan , Sudarshan . (2015 , April 18 ). Islamic State claims bombing in Afghanistan that kills dozens . The Washington Post . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/dozens-killed-in-suicide-bomber-attack-outside-an-afghanistan-bank/2015/04/18/3849f572-e59f-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html
23.
Raghavan , Sudarshan . (2015 , June 16 ). Taliban in Afghanistan tells Islamic State to stay out of country . The Washington Post . Retrieved on 23 September 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-warns-islamic-state-to-stay-out-of-afghanistan/2015/06/16/a88bafb8-1436-11e5-8457-4b431bf7ed4c_story.html
24.
Raghavan , Sudarshan . (2015 , October 13 ). The Islamic State is making these Afghans long for the Taliban . The Washington Post . Retrieved 13 October 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/a-new-age-of-brutality-how-islamic-state-rose-up-in-one-afghan-province/2015/10/13/a6dbed67-717b-41e3-87a5-01c81384f34c_story.html
25.
Rashid , Ahmed . (2008 ). Descent into chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia (pp. 240 –261 ). London : Penguin .
26.
Rasmussen , Sune Engel . (2015 , July 15 ). Taliban peace talks with Afghan government ‘endorsed’ by Mullah Omar . The Guardian . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/15/taliban-peace-talks-afghan-government-endorsed-mullah-omar
27.
Rasmussen , Sune Engel . (2015 , September 14 ). Taliban jailbreak in Ghazni frees hundreds of prisoners . The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/14/taliban-attack-jail-in-afghan-city-of-ghazni-freeing-hundreds-of-prisoners
28.
RAWA News
. (2010 , December 6 ). Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states fund al-Qaeda and Taliban . RAWA News . Retrieved 26 September 2015, from http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/12/06/saudi-arabia-and-other-gulf-states-fund-al-qaeda-and-taliban.html
29.Reuters . (2015 , February 11 ). Afghan Taliban now smuggle drugs and gems like mafia: U.N. report . Reuters . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/11/us-afghanistan-taliban-report-idUSKBN0LF2CG20150211
30.
Robertson , Nic . (2011 , January 27 ). Saudis discover new funding channels for Taliban, al Qaeda . CNN . Retrieved 26 September 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/27/saudi.terror.funding/
31.Roggio , Bill Weiss , Caleb 2015 , July 18 ). Taliban parades in northern Helmand . Long War Journal . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/07/taliban-parades-in-northern-helmand.php
32.Rosenberg , Matthew Shear , Michael D. 2015 , October 15 ). Obama announces halt of U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan . The New York Times . Retrieved 15 October 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/world/asia/obama-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan.html
33.
Rubin , Alissa J. (2012 , February 23 ). Obama sends apology as Afghan Koran protests rage . The New York Times . Retrieved 12 October 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/world/asia/koran-burning-afghanistan-demonstrations.html
34.
Russia Beyond the Headlines
. (2015 , October 8 ). Number of Islamic State members in Afghanistan reaches 3,500 over past year . Russia Beyond the Headlines . Retrieved 9 October 2015, from http://asia.rbth.com/news/2015/10/08/number_of_islamic_state_members_in_afghanistan_reaches_3500_over_past_ye_49918.html
35.
Russia Times
. (2015 , October 8 ). ISIS training militants from Russia in Afghanistan, ‘US and UK citizens among instructors’ . Russia Times . Retrieved 9 October 2015, from https://www.rt.com/news/317989-afghanistan-isis-train-russians/
36.Shah , Pir Zubair Perlez , Jane 2008 , July 14 ). Pakistan marble helps Taliban stay in business . The New York Times . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/world/asia/14taliban.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
37.
Shalizi , Hamid . (2015 , June 29 ). Exclusive: In turf war with Afghan Taliban, Islamic State loyalists gain ground . Reuters . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/us-afghanistan-islamic-state-idUSKCN0P91EN20150629
38.
Shalizi , Hamid . (2015 , October 13 ). After Kunduz, Taliban threaten to take Ghazni . Indian Express , p. 16 .
39.
Starkey , Jerome . (2008 , April 29 ). Drugs for guns: How the Afghan heroin trade is fuelling the Taliban insurgency . Independent . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/drugs-for-guns-how-the-afghan-heroin-trade-is-fuelling-the-taliban-insurgency-817230.html
40.Statement of Islamic Emirate concerning withdrawal from central areas of Kunduz city . (2015 , October 13 ). Official Website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . Retrieved 13 October 2015, from http://shahamat-english.com/statement-of-islamic-emirate-concerning-withdrawal-from-central-areas-of-kunduz-city/
41.Statement of Islamic Emirate regarding 14th year of American invasion of Afghanistan . (2015 , October 7 ). Official Website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://shahamat-english.com/67441/
42.The BBC . (2013 , June 20 ). Q&A: Afghan Taliban open Doha office . The BBC . Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22957827
43.The BBC . (2015 , August 1 ). New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour calls for unity . The BBC . Retrieved 3 October 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33746487
44.The BBC . (2015 , September 29 ). Who are the Taliban? The BBC . Retrieved 1 October 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11451718
45.
The Guardian
. (2015 , August 13 ). Al-Qaida leader pledges allegiance to new Afghan Taliban chief . The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/13/al-qaida-leader-zawahiri-pledges-allegiance-to-new-afghan-taliban-chief
46.
The Guardian
. (2015 , October 11 ). Afghan hospital bombing: Pentagon to pay compensation to families . The Guardian . Retrieved 12 October 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/11/kunduz-pentagon-to-pay-compensation-over-afghan-hospital-bombing
47.
The Hindu
. (2015 , October 14 ). Taliban withdraw from city they captured last month . The Hindu , p. 18 .
48.The liberation of Kunduz showed military capability and moral magnitude of Mujahideen . (2015 , October 7 ). Official Website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://shahamat-english.com/the-liberation-of-kunduz-showed-military-capability-and-moral-magnitude-of-mujahideen/
49.
The Voice of America
. (2015 , September 9 ). Islamic State running prisons inside Afghanistan . The Voice of America . Retrieved 10 October 2015, from http://www.voanews.com/content/islamic-state-running-prisons-inside-afghanistan/2954886.html
50.
The Wall Street Journal
. (2015 , August 18 ). Islamic State ally emerges as threat to Afghanistan, Central Asia . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-ally-emerges-as-threat-to-afghanistan-central-asia-1439919456
51.
Zelin , Aaron Y. (2015 , January 28 ). The Islamic State’s model . The Washington Post . Retrieved 24 September 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/01/28/the-islamic-states-model/