The Growing Islamic State - Afghan Taliban Conflict

FOX News: Taliban and ISIS battle for influence in Afghanistan

The Taliban attack on Afghanistan’s parliament Monday could be an indicator that the terror group is trying to prove to Afghan officials and other extremists they are the top jihadist movement in the country, foreign policy experts warn.

Fox News National Security Analyst KT McFarland spoke to John Hannah and Benjamin Collins about Afghanistan’s security situation.

Hannah, a senior counselor with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, sees similarities in the attack to tactics used by ISIS in the Middle East.

“They are looking at a U.S. drawdown significantly. They think that they might be able to re-create what ISIS has done in Iraq,” he said. This attack “is very much the Taliban putting down their marker and they are on the offensive elsewhere in Afghanistan, picking up territory – the Taliban is back.”

More News On The Growing Islamic State - Afghan Taliban Conflict

Afghan Taliban Contends With ISIS Encroachment -- NBC
Taliban Warns ISIS, Don’t Come to Afghanistan -- Newsweek
Commanders Report Splintering in Taliban Leadership as ISIS Grows: Claims of Three-Way Split Among Leaders -- Antiwar
Isis in Afghanistan: Terrorist group executes three 'defectors' after warning from Taliban -- IBTimes
Taliban vs. ISIS: The Islamic State Is Doomed in Afghanistan -- Akhilesh Pillalamarri, National Interest
Iran and the Afghan Taliban Teaming Up Against ISIS -- Sami Yousafzai, Daily Beast
Despite Current Friction, Taliban and ISIS Could Eventually Merge Forces in Afghanistan -- Lisa Curtis, Daily Signal
Why the Taliban Wants ISIS Out of Afghanistan -- Ankit Panda, The Diplomat