The establishment media routinely characterizes the Taliban as a nationalist group. In reality, however, it is emerging as an international rival to the Islamic State (ISIS).
“Many Jihadi Groups In Asia & Africa Pledge Allegiance To Taliban Leader, Group Sources,” Afghanistan International, October 9, 2024:
Sources close to Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, claim that many Sunni extremist jihadist groups, from South Asia to North Africa, have pledged allegiance to the group’s leader.
According to them, al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and the Pakistani Taliban are groups that have pledged allegiance to the Taliban.
Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, was the first jihadist group to pledge allegiance to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the founder of the Taliban, in 1995, during the first Taliban government. This pledge of allegiance has been renewed several times.
In the second case, al-Qaeda, led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, pledged allegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, and after the death of the former Taliban leader, it also renewed its allegiance to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the current leader of the group.
Sources within the Taliban told Afghanistan International that after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Saif al-Adel, the current leader of al-Qaeda, has once again reiterated his network’s allegiance to Mullah Haibatullah [sic].
Armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda in Africa and Yemen have also pledged allegiance to Mullah Hibatullah. These include al-Shabaab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Jemaah Islamiyah Maghreb in northwest Africa, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, which operate under the umbrella of al-Qaeda. Some of these groups have independently pledged allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah….
rick says
As Afghanistan is not at war with Israel there stands a good chance this angry looking “no bath” mullah will probably be alive for a few more years so might as well convalesce around him. Big name mullahs are dropping like flies so finding one to follow is getting to be tougher and more difficult for the terrorist links around the world. And of course its too dangerous to choose an Iranian bigwig. He could be gone tomorrow.
gravenimage says
Jihad groups across Asia and Africa pledge allegiance to Taliban top dog
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Yes–like most Jihad terror groups, this one is not just national to Afghanistan.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I’m guessing that w/ al Qaeda & ISIS almost eliminated, supporting Arab caliphates is too risky, so now these groups are looking at the Taliban
I wonder what Erdogan thinks about his rightful place being stolen by Mullah Akhundzada, and Kandahar, rather than Istanbul, being the center of the caliphate?