Islamic State–Taliban conflict

Islamic State–Taliban conflict
	Part of the Afghan conflict, war on terror, and al-Qaeda–Islamic State conflict
Date	2 February 2015 – present; (10 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days)
Location	Afghanistan (mainly Nangarhar, Kunar and Jowzjan provinces)
Status	Ongoing Initial Taliban victories in the battles of Darzab and Nangarhar; Collapse of the Islamic State stronghold in eastern Afghanistan in 2019; Taliban captures all of the former Islamic Republic territory in 2021; IS-KP regains strength in eastern Afghanistan following Taliban takeover; IS-KP rebellion in eastern Afghanistan suppressed; Continued IS-KP guerilla warfare and insurgent attacks, including cross-border attacks into Pakistan;
Belligerents
Afghanistan Taliban Haqqani network; ; ; Al-Qaeda; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (pro-Taliban & anti-IS factions); Turkistan Islamic Party; Pakistani Taliban;	Islamic State IS central command; Khorasan Province; ; Mullah Dadullah Front (until 2016); Fidai Mahaz (until 2021); Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (pro-IS factions)
Commanders and leaders
Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–); Mullah Yaqoob; Sirajuddin Haqqani; Khalil Haqqani X; Abdul Ghani Baradar; Qari Fasihuddin; Mohammad Bashir; Neda Mohammad; Formerly: Akhtar Mansour † (2015–16, killed in an American airstrike); Abdul Ghani †; Haji Shakir †; Hamdullah Mukhlis †; Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani †; Mujib Rahman Ansari †; Abdulhaq Abu Omar †; Mohammad Dawood Muzamil †; Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi †; ;	Shahab al-Muhajir; Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman; Ismatullah Khalozai; Sultan Aziz Azam; Maulawi Rajab; Najibullah; Formerly: Hafiz Saeed Khan †; Abdul Haseeb Logari †; Abdul Rahman Ghaleb †; Abu Saad Erhabi †; Abdul Rauf Aliza †; Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq ; Abdullah Orokzai (POW); Nematullah Qaweem ; Qari Hekmat †; Farooq Bengalzai †; Haji Qomandan †; Mansoor Dadullah †; Abdul Manan Niazi †; Nangialai Khan †; Muhammad Rasul ; Qari Fateh †; ;
Units involved
Afghan Armed Forces Afghan Army Red Unit; Badri 313 Battalion; ; Afghan Air Force; ; Ministry of Defense General Directorate of Intelligence; ; Pro-Taliban militias;	Military of the Islamic State IMU (pro-IS factions); Taliban defectors; Former Afghan soldiers (2021–); Former NDS personnel (2021–); ;
Strength
Afghanistan 1,000 special forces (2015); 70,000–75,000 fighters (2021); ;	IS-KP and its allies: 1,000–8,500 fighters (2016); 2,000–3,500 fighters (2021); ; HCIEA: 3,000–3,500;
Casualties and losses
	5,321 civilian deaths (2015–2023)

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing insurgency waged by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP) against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict initially began when both operated as rival insurgent groups in Nangarhar; since the formation of the Taliban's state in 2021, IS-KP members have enacted a campaign of terrorism targeting both civilians and assassinating Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics. The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan.

The conflict began in 2015 following the creation of a regional branch of the Islamic State 'caliphate' and started to clash against Taliban insurgents over control of territory during the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021), mostly in eastern Afghanistan but also through cells in the north-west and south-west. The Haqqani network, al-Qaeda and others supported the Taliban, while IS was supported by the Mullah Dadullah Front and the pro-ISIS faction of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. IS-KP had lost territory to both the Taliban and the former republican government, with American support, by 2020. Following the Taliban capture of Kabul in 2021, IS-KP have continued its insurgent attacks against the new Taliban regime.

As of October 2024, IS-KP is the largest and most powerful of the terror groups active in Afghanistan, with the Taliban appearing to view IS-KP as the primary threat to their rule.