Facing ground pressure, Pakistan Army set to activate ISKP for widespread civilian attacks

New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) With the people of Afghanistan rallying behind the Taliban in the fight against Pakistan, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has been instructed by the ISI to carry out widespread attacks.

The Afghan people, many of whom were not in favour of the Taliban, are now backing the regime as they feel that Pakistan has been too aggressive.

Further, the people also feel that their country cannot be dictated by Pakistan, and any role of Islamabad in Afghanistan means the destruction of their country.

With this being the scenario, the ISKP has now stepped in to carry out widespread attacks in which civilians would be targeted. The message that the ISI wants to send out to the people of Afghanistan through the ISKP is not to back the Taliban. The people are being warned that backing the Taliban would mean paying with their own lives.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that they are closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, where the end of the war is nowhere in sight. Both the Taliban and the Pakistan Army have refused to back down. In fact, the Pakistan Army has made this an ego issue and refused to hold talks despite the Taliban insisting that dialogue is the way forward.

Officials say that despite the Pakistan Army being stronger in terms of technology and manpower, the Taliban has given them a hard time.

While the Taliban fighters have lost their lives, the casualties on the Pakistan side, too, have been large.

Counterterrorism experts say that the Taliban is hard to defeat on the ground. When it comes to boots on the ground, the Taliban have a slight edge, and this is what the Pakistan Army is worried about. This explains why Pakistan wants the ISKP on the ground to not just terrorise the locals, but also lend logistic support and manpower to back the army.

Experts say that the ISKP, which has not managed to make a mark in Afghanistan to the extent that it would have expected, has, however, managed to ensure adaptability and ideological resilience.

The ISKP has been desperate to make its presence felt in Afghanistan. Statistics would show that the outfit has been on the decline, and hence, any such opportunity that is offered by Pakistan, it would grab it with open arms, an official said.

The ISKP, which could manage 19 attacks in 2024, could only execute five terror incidents in 2025.

This shows that the ISKP is gradually losing ground in Afghanistan. This war presents an opportunity for the ISKP to redeem itself, and hence, it would go all out to take advantage of it.

Another official said that the Taliban is currently too busy fighting the Pakistan Army. It has deployed all its manpower to battle Pakistan, and this, according to the ISKP, would be the best time to take on the Taliban.

The Pakistan Army realises that the Taliban’s battle has been bolstered by the fact that it enjoys the support of the people.

Hence, it is important to scare the people of Afghanistan and warn them against supporting the Taliban, the official added. In this context, the ISKP is the perfect weapon for the Pakistan Army.

Currently, it does not want the Taliban to engage directly with the Taliban. Instead, it wants the outfit to carry out strikes and take advantage of the fact that the Taliban would not be able to prevent it due to its ongoing responsibilities in fighting the Pakistan Army.

Officials say that the Pakistan Army would continue to change tactics depending on how matters shape up. It could very well use the ISKP to engage directly with the Taliban, if it feels that its soldiers are unable to cope, the official also added.

--IANS

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