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Updated January 31, 2020
Al Qaeda and Islamic State Affiliates in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's geography, complex ethnic makeup, and
recent history of conflict, instability, and decentralized
government have created space for the activities of a
number of regional armed groups. This product outlines
major terrorist groups affiliated and allied with Al Qaeda
(AQ) and the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or
by the Arabic acronym Da 'esh) and the complex, often
shifting relations between them and various other state and
non-state actors. These dynamics may inform assessments
of U.S. policy in Afghanistan in light of ongoing U.S.-
Taliban negotiations focused largely on counterterrorism
concerns. The Afghan Taliban is not a U.S.-designated
Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), but it relates to the
groups below in varying ways that may have ramifications
for those negotiations.
AlQaea Coe
The top echelon or core of AQ leadership remains a
primary target of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Also known as
Al Qaeda Central, the core is made up of AQ leader Ayman
al Zawahiri and his deputies, an advisory council of about
ten individuals, and members of various AQ committees
such as military operations and finance. AQ leaders are
currently thought to be based in the mountainous, tribal-
dominated areas of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, often
moving between the two countries. In September 2019, the
White House announced that Hanza bin Laden, son of AQ
founder Osama bin Laden and a rising leader in the group,
had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the
Afghanistan/Pakistan region.
U.S. officials have maintained that AQ has a reduced
presence in Afghanistan, due in part to a number of U.S.
raids and airstrikes on AQ targets, including a large training
camp discovered in Kandahar province 2015. It is unclear
what threat AQ poses in light of this counterterrorism
pressure. A November 2019 Department of Defense (DOD)
report, citing the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA),
estimated that there are 300 AQ members in Afghanistan
and that they are almost certainly focused on survival.
In January 2020, the U.N. reported that AQ is concerned
about the current focus of the Taliban leadership on peace
talks, but that AQ-Taliban relations continue to be close
and mutually beneficial, with [AQ] supplying resources and
training in exchange for protection. In talks with the
Taliban, the United States reportedly has pressed the group
to disavow AQ, though it is unclear how open the Taliban
might be to such a break and how it might be verified.
In September 2014, Zawahiri announced the creation of a
formal, separate Al Qaeda affiliate in South Asia, Al Qaeda
in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Because of the relative
geographical proximity of AQIS and the AQ core,
differentiating between the two is difficult, but some key
distinctions exist. Overall, AQIS represents an attempt by
AQ to establish a more durable presence in the region by
enhancing links with local actors. Former AQIS leader
Asim Umar, who was killed in Helmand province in a joint
U.S.-Afghan operation in September 2019, was an Indian
national with deep roots in Pakistan; AQ leaders are
predominantly Arab (Zawahiri, for example, is Egyptian).
The relocation of some AQ leaders to Syria further
incentivized Al Qaeda to create a locally sustainable
affiliate in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.
While AQIS has reportedly attempted to solidify its
presence in Afghanistan by embedding fighters in the
Taliban, its operations have mostly been elsewhere: AQIS
has claimed a number of attacks in Pakistan and
Bangladesh, mostly against security targets and secular
activists, respectively. Additionally, the training camp
discovered in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in 2015
was reportedly being used by AQIS. However, according to
the November 2019 DOD report, DIA assessed that AQIS
would need several years without sustained
counterterrorism pressure.. to develop the capability to
attack outside South Asia. AQIS has several hundred
members (per the State Department), and was designated
as an FTO in June 2016.
Provinces with Reported Presence of Terror Groups
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