IS footprint

EditorialAugust 02, 2017

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AS the militant Islamic State group faces setbacks in its heartland of Iraq and Syria, the terrorist outfit will seek to establish
itself in ungoverned spaces elsewhere. Afghanistan long suffering from conflict seems to be an ideal location for the self-
proclaimed caliphate to put down roots. On Monday, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Iraqi embassy in Kabul;
fortunately, there were no mass casualties, unlike earlier attacks by the group in Afghanistan. The group first appeared on
the Afghan radar in 2015 and has jostled for space and influence with the hard-line Afghan Taliban. American military
officials say there may be around 1,000 IS fighters active in Afghanistan. Due to a long, porous border and a complicated
relationship, often Afghanistans militancy problems spill over into Pakistan; the case of IS is no different, as the militant
groups fighters are believed to be concentrated in Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan.

This country, of course, has an ambiguous history where acknowledging ISs presence is concerned. While officialdom has
mostly remained tight-lipped about the presence of IS in Pakistan, rarely does a day go by without reports of militants
belonging to the outfit being killed or captured appearing in the media. For example, as reported in this paper on Tuesday,
police claimed to have killed two IS fighters in a Karachi encounter. The suspects were believed to be involved in the killings
of police officers, as well as targeted sectarian murders. Around 12 suspected militants killed in Balochistans Mastung area
in June were also believed to be associated with IS. In fact, parts of upper Sindh especially along the Balochistan border
are said to be an area of concern as IS sympathisers are reportedly active in the region. Transnational militancy is a nebulous
phenomenon; it does not recognise borders or national sovereignty. That is why it is imperative that Pakistan and
Afghanistan work together to neutralise the threat of IS in both countries. This may be difficult to achieve, given the often
tense relations that prevail between Islamabad and Kabul. But as IS and militants sympathetic to its ideology have shown
elsewhere, if a vacuum is left as was the case in Syria and Iraq IS will move in very quickly to fill it. That is something
neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan can afford. Therefore, a joint policy to counter IS is the only way forward.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2017