The Afghanistan Security Watch recorded 35 security incidents across Afghanistan in August 2024, under Taliban rule. According to the watchdog’s findings, 24 of the incidents were linked to the National Resistance Front, five to the Afghanistan Freedom Front, and one to the Afghanistan People’s Power Front. Two additional incidents were attributed to unknown perpetrators.
The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, was held responsible for three of the incidents, including attacks that killed seven civilians and wounded 18 others. In total, anti-Taliban groups and ISIS claimed to have killed 69 Taliban fighters and wounded 52 more during the month.
One of the two incidents attributed to unknown groups involved a member of the Ansarullah movement of Tajikistan, while the other targeted the head of the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue department in the Mohmand Dara district of Nangarhar.
The report noted a 36 percent drop in security incidents compared to July. However, it added that only 17 of the 35 incidents had been independently verified. “The number of incidents verified by independent sources is much lower,” the watchdog stated.
Despite the Taliban’s repeated claims of having restored security in Afghanistan since their takeover in 2021, ISIS remains a persistent threat, continuing to launch deadly attacks. A notable ISIS attack in Kabul’s Qala-e-Bakhtiar neighborhood in August left 23 people dead and 20 others wounded.
