KABUL, Afghanistan—Supporters of the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Afghanistan are attempting to establish a regional base in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, said on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Campbell said that foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq had joined Afghans who had declared loyalty to the group in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
He said there were also indications that the ISIS supporters in Nangarhar were trying to consolidate links with the group’s leadership in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS controls about a third of Iraq and Syria. Fighters loyal to the group in Afghanistan include disaffected Afghan and Pakistani Taliban who have fought fierce battles with the Taliban in recent months.
Afghan officials have said that ISIS supporters control a number of border districts in Nangarhar and have a presence in some other southern provinces, including Zabul and Ghazni.
Until now, however, it was unclear whether loyalists in Afghanistan had institutional links to the group’s leadership.
Many of those who had declared allegiance to ISIS were “disenfranchised Taliban” from both sides of the border, Campbell said. But he added: “They’ve been reaching out. I’m sure there are folks who have come from Syria and Iraq—I couldn’t tell you how many, but there are indications of some foreign fighters coming in there.
