ENGAGING WITH THE TALIBAN

While almost all nations in the region appear to favour engagement with Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they, ironically, have stopped short of recognising a regime that is an international pariah

- VAISHALI BASU SHARMA

Without diplomatic support and limited economic resources, the Taliban is reaching out to countries in the region. And almost all nations in the region have indicated a willingness to engage with the Taliban government, albeit if it is able to control the violence and restrain the Islamic State of Khorasan Province or ISKP.

But, controlling violence has been difficult for the Taliban for various reasons. On the evening of August 17, a powerful blast ripped through a mosque in northern Kabul during prayers, killing 21 people, including the Sufiimam and injuring dozens more. A week prior to this attack, Islamic State-Khorasan (ISK) militants had killed prominent pro-Taliban Afghan cleric Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, who was also in favour of female education in a suicide bomb blast also in Kabul. On August 5, ISK took responsibility for a powerful bomb explosion near a Shiite Muslim religious gathering in Kabul, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 18 others.

The Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) is a regional affiliate of IS that operates in Afghanistan and opposes the Taliban's rule, and is today largely responsible for the deteriorating security in Afghanistan. As the Taliban completed a year in power, a series of horrific bombings that have killed more than 250 ordinary Afghans in recent weeks, the highest monthly number of civilian casualties over the last year.