Sunnis and Shi’a ordinarily hate each other, but in this case, these two groups have a pragmatic reason to collaborate: to eliminate a potential rival to both.
“Iran and Taliban bond to counter rise of Islamic State in Afghanistan,” by Anant Mishra, India Narrative, August 6, 2023:
The recent statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed deep concerns regarding the activities of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) in the region, further stating that the group had attracted recruitment from senior leadership and battle-hardened fighters from the erstwhile Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to Afghanistan recently.
The Iranian FMs statement reinforces the UN Security Council report which highlighted ISKP’s escalated activities in the region, but also spotlighted Tehran’s interest in countering the ISIL, as conveyed to this author.
Taking note of Iranian FMs recent statement in conjunction with the Russian foreign minister’s previous remarks, the emergence of ISKP in Afghanistan is impacting regional geopolitics, with global implications.
As expected in the game of intelligence, some of the agencies are apparently involved in covertly supporting ISKP to achieve their political objectives , while some others are strengthening regional ties to counter them collectively. External intervention in turn has opened up Afghan soil for a round of proxy wars.
As the regional security scenario seems to deteriorate and Taliban appears to face a tough challenge against a formidable Islamist group, the timing of Amir-Abdollahian’s remarks needs further comprehension especially in the context of ISKP targeting religious minorities. The Iranian FMs remark not only reflects concerns over violence against Shia minorities in Afghanistan, but also the spillover impact on along the Afghan-Iranian borders, including the flow of refugees in case of a civil war.
Conflicting ideologues: Iran & Al-Qaeda
Not long ago, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, called out Iran as the new operating hub of Al Qaeda.
Iran, as expected, denied this accusation. But Pompeo’s assessment also did not receive support from the intelligence community over his statement. It is not possible for this author to holistically analyse or comment on Tehran’s relationship with al-Qaeda, but to this author, it is conceivable that Iran has been collaborating with Al Qaeda to spread terrorism.
To begin with, groups such Al Qaeda (Sunni militants) are ideologically at war with Shi’a Islam. This further means an implicit disagreement over the way of life of practitioner of Shi’a Islam and Sunni Wahhabi/Salafi organizations. This was evident from a remark made by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, during an address in 2013, where he blamed Western nations and Sunni Gulf states for supporting such Islamists factions against Iran and Shi’ism.
That said, experts argue that Tehran despite being ideologically at war with such groups, follows a realist foreign policy based on regional influence. To support its regional ambitions, experts argue, Tehran continues to host some al-Qaeda affiliate members and their families since the fall of Kabul in 2001.
Countering ISIL
From the Iranian FM’s statements, it appears that one of the key factors in Tehran’s engagement with the Taliban is the growing threat of ISKP. Largely due to the Shia population, followed by shared border of 921-kms, for Tehran, the presence of ISKP on its eastern borders is a grave concern. It appears that Iranian MFA under the direction of the political class and key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have analysed the prospects of working with the Taliban to counter the security threats posed by the ISKP to the Islamic Republic….
࿗Infidel࿘ says
A thing of beauty. I just hope that Pakistan too gets sucked into this taqfiri civil war of alien vs predator
somehistory says
there are three photos on this page where the one in the shot has a certain finger pointed to some part of his face/head area.
A thousand words in those photos, esp about the one who is pictured in two of them.
there is no loyalty among these people….they are all after the ultimate power and control. Even if it means fighting each other to the death. So much for a “brotherhood.’ and peaceful tolerance.