Taliban LIVE: Chilling warning as 2,200 ISIS-K fighters amass – child soldiers recruited

ISIS want to be seen ‘chasing’ West out of Afghanistan in warning

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Founded in 2015, ISIS-K’s aim is to establish an Islamic caliphate across Khorasan – a region covering Pakistan and Afghanistan and parts of central Asia. Its fighters – who view the Taliban as too liberal – are thought to number up to 2,200. However this figure could rise dramatically amid political and social uncertainty. There are now concerns from the Western superpowers that ISIS-K will launch a wave of terror attacks in an attempt to destabilise the Taliban’s efforts to form a government, with potential evacuees representing high profile targets.

In a statement released last night, the UK Foreign Office warned UK nationals not to travel to Kabul airport amid a rapidly escalating terrorism threat and unstable security situation.

The guidance now advises anyone in the area to “move away to a safe location and await further advice”.

Armed forces minister James Heappey described the terror threat to people outside Kabul airport as “lethal” amid concerns over an affiliate of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, ISIS-K.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I can’t stress the desperation of the situation enough, the threat is credible, it is imminent, it is lethal.

“And we wouldn’t be saying this if we weren’t genuinely concerned about offering Islamic State a target.”

Australia and the US have also issued alerts, telling everyone outside the airport to leave immediately.

With the withdrawal deadline looming, August 31, the terror threat poses a serious challenge to the evacuation goals of the West.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, the US President said: “Every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians.”

Kabul airport is currently being held by the US military, which has 5,800 troops on the ground organising the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans at risk of being tortured or killed by the Taliban or other militant groups.

ISIS-K, who also train child soldiers known as the “cubs of the caliphates”, have carried out a string of high-profile terror attacks in their region and will be aware their window of opportunity to strike the West in Afghanistan is closing.

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08:33 Taliban backtrack: women WILL need a male chaperone

The Taliban has gone back on their promise to respect the rights of women by saying they would require a male escort if they wish to take a trip which takes several days.

Under previous Taliban rule, between 1996 and 2001, women saw their human rights severely curtailed. 

They were not entitled to an education, or to join the workforce and could not leave the home without a male chaperone. 

Women caught to be misbehaving or flouting the rules would be publicly flogged. 

The Taliban said under their new government girls would be allowed an education to university level on the condition they wore a hijab head covering.

Despite chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid promising the New York Times that the terrorist group would be more liberal than they were 20 years ago, he went on to say music would also be banned under their regime. 

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