Foreign fighters who claim allegiance to Islamic State are gathering dozens of recruits in eastern Afghanistan, luring would-be jihadis with generous resources and the group’s powerful brand, according to a Taliban fighter who has met several of their commanders.
The rapid and dramatic victories clocked up by Isis in Iraq, Syria and Libya have attracted some young men with specific grievances against government or foreign forces, who simply want the strongest possible allies.
Others seem drawn by the novelty of an upstart force, the Taliban veteran said, or by the apparently deep pockets of a group that boasts laptops, benevolent funds to help fighters’ families when in need and pick-up trucksinstead of the Taliban’s more modest motorbikes.
“This is something new in the market,” said the commander, who is based in Ghazni province, south-west of Kabul. “They think Isis is strong compared with the Taliban, and can help them achieve their goals.”
He agreed to the interview because of his concerns about the new arrivals, particularly Isis’s support for sectarian violence, but spoke on condition of anonymity.
Isis said in January it had expanded its self-declared caliphate to “Khorasan”, a historical region that includes Afghanistan and parts of neighbouring countries.
President Ashraf Ghani has warned of the “terrible threat” from the group. “Daesh (Isis) is already sending advance guards to southern and western Afghanistan to test for vulnerabilities,” he told the US Houses of Congress earlier this year.
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/07/taliban-young-recruits-isis-afghanistan-jihadis-islamic-state
