When the Taliban completed the recent takeover of Afghanistan, their victory was welcomed by jihadist paramilitaries across the world. It was widely seen as an inspiration for the future, much as the 9/11 attacks had been presented as an astonishing assault on the financial and military heartlands of the “far enemy” (the United States).
Older jihadists will recall echoes of 1988, when the Mujahidin, supported by many Arab fighters, including Osama bin Laden, evicted the Soviets from Afghanistan. Not only that, but they could claim that the defeat had brought a superpower to its knees, even contributing to its collapse barely two years later.
However, there isn’t universal euphoria among extremist Islamists about the Taliban takeover, with ISIS emerging as a key source of dissent. And its Afghan affiliate, ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), has claimed responsibility for the attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul yesterday that has killed over more than 90 people and wounded at least 150.
