Islamic State in Afghanistan Publishes First Official English Language Book, Criticizes Taliban Relations with China, Russia, and America
On February 8, 2022, the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) released a book exclusively in the English language for the first time. ‘Jihad: The Way to Jannah’ is 54 pages long and was published through Al-Azaim Foundation, ISKP’s official media outlet. This comes as ISKP makes a push to further internationalize and expand its media operations to reach a broader range of ethnolinguistic groups inside and outside of Afghanistan.
ISKP has historically put out content in Arabic, Pashto, and Dari; however, more recently, the branch has produced propaganda in an expanded number of languages such as Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, and English. In terms of the latter, it is notable that ISKP’s Al-Azaim has also recently launched a magazine series called ‘The Voice of Khurasan’. Furthermore, a pro-Islamic State Hind Province (ISHP) group, which has media and communications linkages to ISKP, has founded an English language magazine series.
ISKP’s propaganda output has increased, the productions have improved in quality, and their strategy has become more sophisticated. The group has leveraged this momentum to continue attacking the Taliban through its media warfare campaign. ‘Jihad: The way to Jannah’ is very much in line with these efforts and contains several barbed criticisms of the Taliban purposed to discredit and delegitimize the group as a religious and political authority.
In the book, ISKP says “we hate the Kufr (infidelity) and all the futile groups,” specifying that “one of these futile groups is Taliban.” ISKP argues “the path of Taliban is not correct, and their path is to mix haq and batil (truth and falsehood), to mix Islam and Kufr.”
The Taliban are accused of being “slaves of money which are supported by the other infidel countries, especially Pakistan.” ISKP alleges that the Taliban fought in coordination with the United States against Islamic State forces in Afghanistan. They also assert that “everywhere the Muslim Mujahedeen say or do something against Pakistan, Iran and other non-Muslim countries the … Taliban cooperating infidels persecute them by jailing and killing.”
ISKP says the Taliban “bow” before “infidel” countries and seeks closer relations with China, the US, Russia, and Pakistan.
Later in the book, they allege:
Today we know Taliban have no Wala (friendship for the sake of Allah) and Bara (enmity for the sake of Allah), even they make friends with the ones who killed millions of Muslims such as China, Iran and USA.
Finally, ISKP declares that jihad against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is “obligatory” in response to Muslims being “oppressed by the Taliban” and calls for Muslims everywhere to join the Islamic State’s fight against the “pagan Taliban.”