ISIS and the Day After in Afghanistan
July 21, 2021, 6:20 am

Sami Moubayed

As President Ashraf Ghani led prayers of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday, three rockets landed on the presidential palace in Kabul. At first glance, everybody expected that the Taliban was behind the attack, which has been leading an offensive across the country ahead of the expected withdrawal of US troops on 11 September 2021. ISIS

But surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the Taliban that made claim to the attack but the Islamic State (ISIS), a familiar name in Afghanistan, better known by its local affiliate, IS-Khorasan. In the past, the terror group has carried out several attacks across the country, expected to increase, both in sum and precision, once the US withdrawal is complete.

According to intelligence reports, over the past six months several ISIS fighters have fled the al-Hol Camp in eastern Syria and found their way to Afghanistan, where they are preparing for the day after President Joe Biden completes troop withdrawal on the 20^th anniversary of the twin attacks on New York City. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that this was to put a “responsible end” to the Afghanistan war, on its 20^th anniversary—something easier said than done.

It might have the opposite effect, however, thrusting the country into the unknown, igniting a new civil war, along with a Taliban comeback and sweeping rise for ISIS. The Russians claim that that US is responsible for the smuggling of ISIS troops from Syria to Afghanistan, nudging them to move their base of operation to new territory, hoping that they can eventually eclipse the Taliban and use Afghanistan as a launching pad against China. The chances of them teaming up with the Taliban are slim, since they share different ideology despite the many common denominators, with ISIS being of the Hanafi school of Islam and Taliban being from the Hanbali one.

Far from welcoming them to Afghanistan, the Taliban fears that ISIS will compete with them in their own fiefdom, winning hearts and minds within the same radicalized Sunni Muslim community that Taliban claims to represent.

According to Human Rights Watch, al-Hol houses 43,000 foreigners connected to ISIS. Their home countries don’t want them back, and some have paid bribe money to get out of al-Hol. ISIS

The Kurds who control the camp have allowed that to happen, although they had originally held on to ISIS prisoners to use them as bargaining chips, whether with the Americans or with the Syrian. They have slowly turned a blind eye to their escape, however, due to the high cost of maintaining security at the camp. Earlier this year the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that it found weapons and ammunition at al-Hol, as well as laptops, all linked to ISIS.

The US Treasury Department says that al-Hol has become a magnet for ISIS finances, using hawalas (money transfer system) to move an estimated $100 million in cash reserves. Additionally, at least 42 ISIS-style executions have been performed in al-Hol since the start of this year. In March 2021, the SDF said that arrested five cell leaders in al-Hol, along with 53 ISIS suspects. The number of young men that these fighters can recruit and indoctrinate is theoretically unlimited, whether in Afghanistan or beyond.

Western intelligence reports show that ISIS is still recruiting members through online jihadist forums, and still has anywhere between $50-300 million in its treasury. The terror group is using encrypted chat apps to work around bans imposed via Twitter and Facebook, and are now using Tam Tam, a Russian social media network. On that platform they have posted a 216-page illustrated manual for the “novice jihadist fighter,” along with a downloadable instruction video on how to make a one-shot gun for close range assassinations.

Mobilization of the militias

Meanwhile ISIS prepares for the Day After in Afghanistan, so are former warlords of the war-torn country. One of them is Ismail Khan who staged a huge rally of his supporters in the western city of Herat on 18 April. Khan is an ethnic Tajik who claimed hundreds of “armed mujahedin” had been deployed in all districts of Herat Province, of which Herat city is the capital, to fight Taliban in its countryside.

Khan is a former commander in the Western-backed mujahideen group which had been set up to first fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, and then, the Taliban. He has even fired a threat at the Ghani government, describing it as “incompetent” and saying that he would retaliate if Ghani tried to disarm the “mujahideen” using the historic term used to describe the non-state militias. He is one of the many warlords that ISIS is preparing to work with as of next September.

On 13 April, another militant named Zulfiqar Omid announced the creation of a “resistance front” in the province of Daikundi, central Afghanistan, headed by mujahideen commander, Mohammad Ali Sadaqat. Omid posted a photo of himself walking through a column of militiamen, carrying a Kalashnikov. He is a member of the Shiite Hazara minority. Those manifestations of lawlessness prompted Parliament Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani to comment, very correctly, that the country was on the verge of a civil war.

If militia rule returns to Afghanistan, the state can always arm its own militias, using them to support the 300,000-strong army and security services. Many former militiamen are already part of the 18,000-strong Afghan Local Police (ALP), currently on government payroll, which was set up by the Americans ten years ago. Their funding came to an end in September 2020 and they can quickly be regrouped to help the Afghanistan government after 9-11. There are reports that the Afghanistan government has already started distributed arms to its supporters, in anticipation of the Day After.

But that would have long term consequences for the Ghani government, which took great pride in helping curb militia rule. Yet this is what happened to the Americans when the first came to Afghanistan in 2011. They disarmed and demobilized the militias, only to realize that they needed them on the battlefield, calling them back into service, and arming them, via the ALP.

The hard fact is that Afghanistan is indeed on the verge of a total collapse, and this is music to the ears of ISIS. It was lawlessness and the abundance of arms that allowed them to thrive, first in Iraq and then in Syria, and Afghanistan 2021 looks pretty much the same as these two Arab countries were in 2011-2014.

levant

by: Sami Moubayed

UK committed to prosecute individuals linked to criminal activities with the Syrian Regime The uprising of the people of Khuzestan due to water shortages.

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.