Afghanistan
Faith and Vengeance: the Islamic State's War in Afghanistan
It was Aug. 15, 2021, and the last U.S. troops were still sheltering at Kabul airport, waiting for the war to end, when the purge began. For 20 years the Taliban had been waging an insurgency in the name of jihad against foreign occupation - but with success now assured, they were already switching focus to another threat: their fellow Muslims in the Islamic State group.
In the months since, Islamic State Khorasan Province has unleashed a campaign of bombings and assassinations targeting Taliban officials, minority communities and the very crowds the new rulers once promised to protect.
The contest between the two groups has put ordinary Afghans in the crossfire, deepening a humanitarian crisis in a country where security was supposed to improve the day the foreigners left.
In the months since, Islamic State Khorasan Province has unleashed a campaign of bombings and assassinations targeting Taliban officials, minority communities and the very crowds the new rulers once promised to protect.
The contest between the two groups has put ordinary Afghans in the crossfire, deepening a humanitarian crisis in a country where security was supposed to improve the day the foreigners left.