Dead Bodies in the River: Fear grips the Afghan City under Taliban – the Islamic State Conflicts

The Taliban who promised peace over Afghan now spread fears in the eastern city of Jalalabad, which has been hit by Islamic State group attacks and retaliation. People spotted corpses that have mysteriously appeared in rivers following the crossfires. According to several sources across the province, up to 150 bodies have been discovered in rivers and streams. In the evening, residents of the trade hub in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province rushed to their homes before night fearing the conflict between IS and the Taliban.

The analysts say that the local chapter of IS has become more active since the US agreed to withdraw foreign troops from the country in 2020 with the Taliban. Fundamentalist fighters opposed to any compromise with the West are thought to number between 2,000 and 4,000 in Afghanistan when compared to 80,000 Taliban.

The most significant ideological difference between the two Islamist groups is that the Taliban sought Afghanistan to free of foreign forces, whereas IS seeks an Islamic caliphate extending from Turkey to Pakistan and beyond. According to Abdul Sayed, a jihadist network expert, the group has been responsible for nearly 100 attacks since mid-September with 85 percent of them aimed at the Taliban, and Jalalabad is on the front lines.