A recent report has disclosed that the ISIL militant group is in an “initial exploratory phase” in war-torn Afghanistan while it is primarily active in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

In a report presented to the US Congress, the Pentagon pointed to “evidence of limited recruiting efforts” by ISIL extremists in Afghanistan, but added that, “ISIL presence and influence in Afghanistan remains in the initial exploratory phase.”

“ISIL will likely continue to try to expand its presence in Afghanistan during the upcoming year, and it will compete for relevance with the Taliban and other extant terrorist and insurgent groups,” the report said, noting that the Taliban were also watching ISIL carefully.

The Pentagon report further warned against what it called the “resilient” Taliban militancy, asserting that the militant group poses the major threat to US troopers as well as Afghan security personnel.

On Tuesday, the Taliban warned terrorist ISIL leader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, against “waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan.”

The militant group asked the ISIL leader to keep his men out of Afghanistan by withdrawing his support for those elements that are recruiting young militants in the so-called Taliban strongholds.

ISIL released a new video on June 13 apparently showing the beheading of a Taliban militant commander in Afghanistan.

The victim, identified as Saad al-Imarati, had reportedly switched his allegiance from ISIL back to the Taliban before his purported decapitation on “spying” charges in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

Although the video may not be authentic, it emerged less than two weeks after ISIL extremists executed 10 Taliban militants in the same province.

General John F. Campbell, the commander of the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, told reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on May 23 that ISIL is making use of a sophisticated social media campaign in order to woo local Taliban militants.

The trend has culminated in many Afghan militants re-branding and pledging allegiance to the terrorist outfit, said the senior US commander, adding, however, that the Takfiri group has yet to make any significant operational moves in the Asian country.

ISIL controls parts of Syria and Iraq, and has been carrying out horrific acts of violence against all communities in the two countries. The terrorist group has recently extended its raids to Libya in North Africa.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity years after soldiers from the United States and its allies marched through the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

Even though the onslaught overthrew Taliban, many areas across Afghanistan still face violence.

MP/HJL/GHN