By Ankit Panda
The Islamic State will have a hard time gaining a foothold in South Asia.
Following its sudden rise to international notoriety this summer, the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) seems to slowly be gaining traction with Islamic extremist groups across the world. Following its declaration of a caliphate encompassing the inner Levant, IS has allegedly expanded its influence eastward, toward South Asia. IS is reportedly distributing pamphlets in Dari and Pashto in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan. According to Pakistan’s Tribune, the extremist group distributed a booklet titled “Fatah” in Peshawar as well as in Afghan refugee camps.
The group has also found some traction with local extremist groups. Earlier this week, the BBC reported that a Taliban-aligned Islamic militant group in Afghanistan, Hezb-e-Islami, would join the caliphate. Although the group has denied the claims made by the BBC report, the group wouldn’t have been the first in the region to declare its allegiance to the IS and the caliphate. Earlier this summer, Tehreek-e-Khilafat, a Pakistan-based terror group, pledged its allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS and its self-declared caliph.
Read the full story at The Diplomat