Officials at the Minister of Interior Affairs (MoI) said Sunday that Daesh (ISIS-K) is not a serious threat to Afghanistan’s security and that they will crackdown on the group.

MoI officials also said that Daesh claims responsibility for attacks in Afghanistan that are carried out by criminals.

“Daesh is not a serious threat to Afghanistan’s security, and they (Daesh) are not able to threaten Afghanistan’s security,” said Saeed Khosti, spokesman for the MoI.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials say that Daesh has no active presence in the country and falsely claim responsibility for attacks.

“The instability in Afghanistan is not related to Daesh. Daesh claims responsibility. They don’t have a specific place to fight IEA forces,” said Jawed Sargar, a member of the cultural commission.

This comes after IEA officials pledged in Doha that they will prevent terrorist groups from launching attacks against foreign countries from Afghanistan.

“The fight against terrorist organizations was an article in Doha deal (signed last year between the US and the IEA). Taliban (IEA) should not allow other groups to be active in Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Sarwar Naizai, a military analyst.

Afghans also called on the IEA to ensure Daesh does not gain a foothold in the country.

“The IEA should not allow Daesh to start their activities in Afghanistan,” said Amanullah Pajwalk, a Kabul resident.

“We urge the IEA to take a political stand against Daesh, in order to not attack Afghanistan,” said Fahim, a government employee.

This comes after IEA forces raided a Daesh (ISIS-K) hideout north of Kabul on Friday, killing and arresting an unspecified number of militants, an IEA spokesman said.

IEA spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press that Friday’s raid took place in the city of Charikar in Parwan province. He did not provide more details.

The raid followed an arrest by the IEA of two Daesh members linked to a roadside bombing that targeted an IEA vehicle in the city on Friday, wounding four members. The two were questioned and the information they provided helped the IEA identify the hideout, Karimi said.