Daesh threat lingers in Afghanistan despite leader’s death

The killing of the Daesh group’s leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan has dealt a major blow to the militants, but despite a US-backed scorched earth offensive the regional franchise is far from over, observers said Saturday.
Hafiz Saeed was killed in a US airstrike in eastern Nangarhar province last month, the Pentagon announced Friday, as Afghan forces mount an operation against the militants after they claimed the deadliest attack in Kabul for 15 years.
The death of Saeed, the second prominent militant to be killed in a US regional strike in recent months, is a setback to the group’s efforts to expand beyond its heartland of Syria and Iraq into Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“The killing of IS (Daesh) leader Hafiz Saeed in a US airstrike is a major blow to the group, which will struggle to make gains without a strong leadership,” Kabul-based political analyst Haroun Mir told AFP.
“But the IS threat in the region is still far from over.”
The group claimed twin bombings last month that tore through crowds of minority Hazaras protesters in Kabul, killing 80 people in the deadliest attack in the capital since 2001.
The devastating attack in the capital represented a major escalation for IS, which so far has largely been confined to its stronghold in Nangarhar, where it is notorious for brutality including beheadings.
But officials denied that it marked a turning point for Daesh in Afghanistan, saying the group has been under heavy pressure from both US air strikes and a ground offensive led by Afghan forces.
The US military says the group’s nascent presence in Afghanistan has dwindled, with fighters largely confined to two or three districts in Nangarhar from around nine in January.
But despite the offensive, residents of Nangarhar say the group is still maintaining its reign of tyranny in the region.
“The offensive is going on and the government says they are winning,” a tribal leader in Hiska Mina, one of the worst-hit districts in Nangarhar, told AFP.
“But Daesh fights every night, and the insecurities have increased, not decreased,” he added.
Local tribal leaders say the Taliban, a stronger group than Daesh, has forged an informal alliance with the militants after a year of fierce rivalry in order to effectively combat government forces.
“The Daesh and Taliban have stopped fighting each other and are both fighting the government,” said Malek Haseeb, a tribal leader in Kot, a mountainous district from where Daesh militants were last month flushed out by Afghan troops.
“Once government forces leave, we fear Daesh will return and resume their operations,” he added.

Source : Arab News