Isis actively recruiting in Afghanistan, says US general

The commander of international forces in Afghanistan said on Saturday that the Islamic State group is actively recruiting in the country, but is not yet operational there.

General John F Campbell said the group’s sophisticated social-media campaign was attracting Taliban fighters based in Afghanistanand Pakistan disgruntled with the lack of progress in more than 10 years of fighting to overthrow the Kabul government.

As a result, many were pledging allegiance to Isis, which controls about a third of Syria and Iraq, Campbell told reporters.

“We don’t want it to continue to grow,” he said, adding that efforts were being made to ensure its presence did not reach levels similar to Syria and Iraq.

He said Afghans largely did not agree with the ideology of the Islamic State, a factor that could limit its growth in Afghanistan. But he contradicted his earlier statement that Isis was not active on the battlefields of Afghanistan by saying it was reportedly fighting the Taliban for control of territory and men.

“In fact, Taliban and Daesh are reportedly fighting each other,” he said, using an acronym for Islamic State. “It is absolutely a concern.” - Read More at the Guardian

Isis actively recruiting in Afghanistan, says US general