As winter sets in there is a lull in the fighting every year but maybe not this time.
There is concern about ISIS infiltration in parts of Nangarhar, Pakhtia, Ghazni and Zabul. The government is under pressure following reports that families of armed, anti-government groups are among thousands of refugees repatriated from Pakistan.
Afghan security forces have maintained opponents would not be allowed to shift bases and enter Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) has confirmed the presence of some Taleban among the returnees. Sediq Sediqi, spokesperson, hints this was a deliberate strategy hatched by Pakistani intelligence. “We are concerned about such plots and programmes and are trying to prevent the presence of Taleban members among the Afghan refugees,” he says.
Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised the flag on ISIS. Zahir Qadeer, first deputy in Parliament, says ISIS has plans to settle 200 families in each district of Afghanistan as so-called refugees. If they are not given land, they (ISIS) would buy land, he says. Should the plan succeed, the government would not be able to prevent terrorist activities. “The 200 families would become 800 within one year,” he believes.
Karim Mateen, the former governor of Paktika province, has leveled similar allegations.
Jumadeen Gyanwall, a member of the senate says, “Since one month, some individuals have moved into two districts of Paktika claiming to be migrants but they speak in foreign languages and carry weapons. Their faces are covered and they have put up tents in some villages. They do not allow anyone to come nearby. If they were refugee returnees why would they be armed?”
Haseebullah Kalimzai, second deputy chairman of the senate, also expresses concern. “The presence of foreign fighters in Faryab or in Paktika is of concern. The government must take serious note,” he says.
Earlier, authorities in Zabul had expressed concern about heightened ISIS activity in the province with the establishment of bases in several districts.
Besmillah Afghanmal, Zabul governor says, “White (Taleban) flags have changed to black (ISIS) ones and in some areas black ones have become white. This is a serious risk and we have shared the information with the centre (national unity government in Kabul).”
