Terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan

There have been warnings Afghanistan could become a recruiting ground and staging post for militants since the Taliban returned to power last year following the hasty withdrawal of US-led forces. Although there is no longer a war in Afghanistan, the terrorist threat is still present through the Daesh of Greater Khorasan, which, ironically, attacks the Taliban, who for many years sowed the same panic that they suffer now.

The Afghan branch of Daesh has been adept at varying its terrorist tactics from launching suicide attacks to cause maximum harm against civilians in October to suicide bombings against individuals, as seen this month with the death by a suicide bomber hiding explosives in a prosthetic leg of Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani and the bombing this week of a Kabul mosque.

Analysts believe the death of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri last month by a US drone in Kabul raises questions about the possibility that terrorist groups are using Afghanistan as a sanctuary, something the Taliban promised not to do when they signed the Doha agreement in 2020.

Such doubts are certain to aggravate the country's international isolation, worsening the humanitarian situation that was heavily dependent on international aid for its livelihood. 

This year, two natural disasters have complicated the situation: one of the worst droughts in recent years has put the food supply of almost 20 million Afghans at risk, and in June a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit the east of the country, a remote area. To date, we do not know if humanitarian aid has reached the affected area, although it is quite likely that it has not, aggravating an already fragile humanitarian situation.

The presence of Daesh coupled with the Taliban's unsuccessful attempts to eliminate them raises serious questions about Afghanistan's stability, especially the fear that Daesh will take control of the country in the medium to long term. Such a scenario would certainly be a danger for a region where several terrorist groups such as the Pakistani Taliban coexist.