Afghan Taliban distances itself from ISIS

The Taliban in Afghanistan has distanced itself from ISIS, announcing that it is “a scruffy and uncouth production of nations in the Middle East” that “has no place in our community”. The Taliban has said that it has given up on holding talks with ISIS, and has vowed to prevent it from gaining a foothold in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed announced: “We’ve used all reasonable chances and options for peace efforts, but apparently those people are not rational, and reconciliation and talks with them is not possible.” ISIS has appeared in recent years in conflict-affected areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Several former Taliban members pledged allegiance to ISIS’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the group now operates in the east of the country with around 3,000 fighters.

An image taken from a video shows an Islamic State member known by his nom de guerre Ukashah al-Iraqi. He is purported by IS to have been among nine jihadists involved in the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people. Photo: AFP