Taliban’s Interior Ministry Warns of ISIS Attack on Group’s Officials

The Taliban's Ministry of Interior (MoI) has warned that ISIS plans to attack officials of the group who have returned from the Hajj pilgrimage, according to a letter obtained by Afghanistan International.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior has issued the letter to the group’s police chiefs across 34 provinces of Afghanistan and warned about “suicide attacks” by ISIS.

On Tuesday, Abdul Matin Qane, the Taliban’s interior ministry spokesperson, confirmed that the letter had been issued by the ministry, but refused to provide further information about the potential threats against senior Taliban officials.

In the letter, the Taliban's Ministry of Interior said that ISIS wants to carry out suicide and hand grenade attacks against Taliban governors, police chiefs, and other civil officials inside their "homes and offices".

Several high-ranking Taliban officials, including Mullah Yaqoob, the group’s defence minister, have been on the Hajj pilgrimage.

Earlier, a letter from the Taliban's Ministry of Interior had been circulating on social media, in which it had been stressed that a group connected to the ISIS wants to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan.

However, the Taliban have repeatedly tried to neglect the security threats posed by ISIS across Afghanistan. Taliban intelligence sources told Afghanistan International that currently, the Taliban considers ISIS a bigger threat than any other armed opposition groups in Afghanistan.

In 2023, ISIS has proved capable of killing senior Taliban officials, including the group’s former governor of Balkh, and Badakhshan provinces.

In the last 20 years, the Taliban used similar tactics to the ISIS to kill officials and political leaders of the previous government.