Background:

In 2014, Pakistani national Hafiz Saeed Khan was chosen to spearhead IS-K province as its first emir.³ Khan, a veteran Tehrik-e Taliban (TTP) commander from Orkzai tribe, brought along other prominent TTP members to folder of IS-K.[1]IS-K known locally as Daesh.Abdul RaufKhadmi, former Afghan-Taliban commander became his deputy and they established Af-PAK ISIS Khurasan branch. Later on, Khadim was killed in Helmand province by US air strike.[2]Mr. Khan moved hisHQ  to forest covered mountainous MamandVallyof Achin district of Nangarharwhich is border with Orkzai Agency of Tribal belt of Pakistan.Many TTP members from Bajauragency and sprinkle groups of former Mujahiden, Taliban and local criminals joined with Daesh too. They were able to take over many parts of Nangarharprovince especially six districts of Shinwarand Kot district of Momand tribes in South-eastern part of Nangarhar province.

During these years, Daesh established FM radio by the name of KhilafatGhag (Voice of the Caliphate) which was operationalized till last month[3]. They were able to recruit many young Afghan from universities and schools.They completely brain-washed and indoctrinated youth and many become suicide bombers.During these years, Daesh committed so much notorious crimes and atrocities in Nangarhar province including beheading people and tied explosive to the bodies of local and exploded them. Last year, their influence reached to the outskirts of the Capital of Nangarhar Province, Jalalabad.

As people faced enormous hardship and the city was in the verge of collapse, In 2018, President Ghani brought drastic changes in civilian and military leadership of Nangarhar Province to fight Daesh and eliminate them from Nangarhar. They came with a formula of working with local uprising to support them with Afghan National Security Forces. National Directorate of Security took responsibility to work with the locals and they established first local uprising in Batikot district which is located in eastern part of Jalalabad city. The so-called shadow governor of Taliban had HQ in this district. It is worth mentioning that Taliban presence in this area provided opportunity for Daesh to expand and without clearing of this district, it was not possible to reach fully controlled territory of Daesh controlled districts.

ANSDF with support of local people were able to take over Batikot district and has started operation against Deash and Taliban in MohmandDara, Shinwar, Naizian, Achin and Haska Mena districts. Daesh and Taliban were forced to move further eastern southern mountains of Nangarhar province. But still there was a stalemate and some more changes needed in civilian and military leadership of Nangarhar.

Sotry of Daeshdefeat in Nangarhar:

In early 2019, President Ghani appointed me as Governor of Nangarhar to bring better coordination among security forces and locals to eliminate Daesh and other terrorist groups.

When I was appointed, it was the end of winterseason. Thefear among the people in the province was that Taliban and Daesh may increase their attacks during spring and summer fighting seasons.After consultation among our military council in Nangarhar, with support of RS (Resolute Support) advisor, we developed six months planned and priorities our operation based on real COIN (Counter Insurgency) formula of clear hold and build. Why I say, real COIN formula because for over 15 years, Afghan and International Forces, mostly had strategy for clear but not hold and build. This shortcoming of military strategy lost confidence of people on security forces that they could not protect them after operation. More operations meaning more alienation of people from the government and the gap between people and government were widening year by year which in retrospect such kind gap in military strategy provide opportunity for corruption on war economy, heavy losses for Afghan and International security forces.

As I was well aware of such problems, with clear direction and support of President Ghani, ministry of Defense, Interior and National Directorate of Security and Resolute Support advisors and commanders, we have implemented real COIN strategy in Nangarhar. We focused in the east of Nangarhar to secure Jalalabad-Torkham highway, captured Lalpura district from Taliban. We established permanent check posts by local uprising groups and the posts were protected by ANSDF. Why we have chosen east because to dry up resources of Taliban as well as Daesh. According to internal assessment of NDS, onlyTaliban would gained at lease 13-15 million US dollars from road taxes and citrus farms of Nangarhar. Both groups also gained millions of extra dollars from plus smuggling of illegal goods, timbers, mines and drug trafficking.

After east, we focused in the south against Daesh in order to stop infiltration, suicide bombings, IEDs. ANDSF with support of RS captured Chprehar district and poundedDaesh bases in WazirTangi, AgamTangi (Known Tora Bora), Oghzof Haska Mena and Achin. After protecting Jalalabad city form threat of Daesh and Taliban, we captured most part of West side of Nangarhar where Taliban had influence in Surkhrud, Sherzad and Khogiyani districts. Still, we need to consolidate gains in the West of Nangarhar and need to clearHisarak district from the influence of Taliban.

Why and how Daesh members surrendered?

As mentioned above, in our COIN strategy, ANDSF decided to capture main center of IS-K in Bandar and Baghdara of Mamand valley of Achin district in order to cut supply route of Daesh. After almost two month operation, ANDSF with support of RS special forces, capturedthose valleys, established permanent posts and bases by local people belong of Khezash (local uprising units). Some Daesh members killed, some escaped and some had no option to surrender because of shortage of food, ammunition and other logistic supplies because their connection with main stronghold of Daesh in Orkzai agency of Pakistan cut off.

So far over 250 male members of Daesh from Pakistan, Iran, Jordan, India, Tajikistan, Maldives, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan including some Afghans surrendered or captured with arms. Beside of male members, 426 children and 237 women, one from Peshawar and two women from India.They have different reasons than they joined with Daesh. They provided different names for their identity.

Abdul Basir from Farah province, joined with a commander of Daesh who was former Taliban commander named Mahdi in Farah. He joined along with his four other brothers who were also in the custody of Afghan government. Mehdi had allegiance to Deputy of IS-K, AbdurRaufKhadim. After killing Khadim by US air strike, he came to join IS-K in Achinbut Mehdi joined back with Taliban and he still operate in Farah province against Afghan government. Daesh groups divided 60 people which have one commander and they call its group Katiba which is Arabic name for army unit of battalion. The main leaders have their own strategy how to lead IS-K but people in Katiba are only foot soldiers to obey the order of the leadership. Mr. Basir said that he was illiterate and believed that after Kalifate, Mahdi will emerge. His three brothers married Pakistani womenduring their stay with IS-K in Achin. It is common practice among Daesh members when the male of members of the Katiba’s killed or died, their women re-marry with other members of IS-K. Mr. Basir and his brothers were with IS-K since four years.

The second person from Peshawar, Pakistan used three names. He said that he was known in Peshawar by the name of Commander Mumtaz, among Daesh, he was known Yaqub and when he surrended, he used the name of Gula Jan. Gula Jan joined with Tehrik Pakistan Taliban and then returned to Afghanistan. He was in Kunar and when TTP leaders joined with IS-K, he joined too with Daesh in Khurasan. He has two wives and both of them were from Peshawar. He doesn’t know about whereabouts of his wives and children.

The four Indian women, who I only interviewed two of them. Two are dentists, one studied micro-biology and one studied English literation in India. Two of them were Mulism, one was converted to Islam from Christianity and another from Hinduism. They accepted Islam in Islamic Research Center of Dr. ZakiNayek and then married after conversion. The Islamic names of two women, I interviewed were Maryam and Fatima. Maryam was Christian and her husband was Hindu. They married after conversion. Her husband killed in one of fighting in Zawaarea of Khogiyaniand she re-married. They said that in 2016, 22 Indians(13 male, 6 women and 3 children) came to Afghanistan. All four women, I met, were from Kerala of India. They said that their husbands had connection with ISIS and first went to Iran and then to Afghanistan by air. The traveled by road from Kabul to Jalalabad and then went to Achin district by their fixers. Maryam has two children one from each husband. Fatima had two boys. They said that they have not seen their husband in two months after fighting against Daesh started in Achin.

The government of Afghanistan,had preliminary screening in Nangarhar. The male members of Daeshplus women and children from different countries sent to Kabul. In Nangarhar, we kept women and children from Orakzai, Bajaur, Peshwar, Kohat and Kheyber of Pakistan. On 19^th of November, President Ghani visited Nangarhar to announce elimination of Daesh basis, he instructed all instituions to provide humanitarian assistance to children and women. Local government in Nangarhar, lodged all women and children in secure and provided all basic needs from the humanitarian organizations.

On the 22^nd of November, elders and Ulema of other side. If the women are willing to go back to their villages and tribal elders from the other side guarantte their safety and not joining back with Daesh, government of Afghanistan, will hand over them to tribal elders and Ulema.

What is next?

IS-K left behind thousands of land mines and ruined houses. During military operation, ANDSF destroyed over 300 different kinds of minesin the route to Bandar and Baghdara valleys of Achin district. ANDSF and local uprising lost 11 individuals who become victims of mines. I personally visited Dewana Baba, former HQ of IS-K in Achin and all villages deserted and houses destroyed during last five years of Daesh in these areas. The middle school of Dewana Baba was empty and you could see sign of Daesh propaganda and literatures in the schools.

Thousands of families are willing to return to the villages but due to land mines, cannot move. Local administration of Nangarhar requested all demining agencies to help and destroy land mines to create conducive condition for people to return to their houses. Only one demining agency by the name of Hallo Trust has started basic work to survey and destroy land mines.

View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.