MESOP WATCH : CHARLES LISTER ANSWERS ! / AFGHANISTAN
Nov.2021 -A trope recently became conventional wisdom (only) in the CT analyst community, associating Afghan Salafism with ISIS. ISIS’ appeal to members of the Salafized corners of NE Afghanistan isn’t the same as Salafists support ISIS. Reminiscent of “Sunnis support ISIS in Iraq/Syria”
A major development: the senior-most Afghan Salafist scholars, Sardar Wali and Ahmad Shah, from Nangarhar province with several others announced support for the Taliban in Kabul. Both escaped arrest at the hands of the Taliban in Nangarhar after the Mutawakil killing in Kabul.
Charles Lister
Replying to @hxhassan
I think it’s clear that #ISIS-K’s existence stirred the pot — shifting some allegiances & most importantly, making the #Taliban highly suspicious of Salafist communities in the east. It’s not a matter of wholesale allegiance change, but a shift in perception & resulting action.
So if anyone out there is claiming that #Afghanistan‘s Salafists are all #ISIS — that’s wrong. But there’s an analytical space that lies between saying nothing has changed & saying something has changed (#Taliban perceptions & their resulting actions).
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