(CBN) – The Islamic State may have lost its caliphate in Syria and Iraq, but in the mountains of northeastern Afghanistan, the group has grown dramatically and is again preparing to strike on a global scale. Americans have grown accustomed to hearing about car bombings in Afghanistan. But intelligence sources say the attacks that have occurred over the past few weeks were actually “practice runs” for even bigger attacks in Europe and the United States. The Islamic State is once again transforming Afghanistan into a base for international terrorism,
according to Ajmal Omar, Nangarhar provincial council member. “The Islamic State was not eliminated here. Daesh was just quiet for some time to re-supply themselves, so they can move to other districts in large numbers. They’re armed with snipers, night vision equipment and powerful weapons,” Omar says. In March of this year, ISIS lost its final stronghold in Syria, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate it declared in 2014. Many assumed the struggle against the Islamic State was finally near an end. But the fighters simply moved east into the mountains of Afghanistan, where they have grown from a few dozen to several thousand. READ MORE
