ASSESSMENTS

The Islamic State Reaches Into Afghanistan and Pakistan

Jan 16, 2015 | 10:15 GMT

Islamic State Reaches Into Afghanistan and Pakistan
A Pakistani man holds a pamphlet purportedly distributed by the Islamic State in Peshawar.

(A MAJEED/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

The establishment of the Khorasan chapter of the Islamic State in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region strengthens the group's image as a phenomenon with global reach. But the new chapter's links to the Islamic State are fragile, and it owes its existence more to the fragmentation of the cross-border Taliban movement than to anything the Islamic State has done. The Khorasan chapter, like other Islamic State affiliates beyond the Syrian-Iraqi battlespace, will be met with local resistance from jihadist forces and al Qaeda who see groups friendly toward the Islamic State as a challenge to their authority.

Discord among the Taliban has helped the group enter the area, but resistance will grow....

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