A bloody clash between the Afghan Taliban and followers of the so-called Islamic State late last month in western Afghanistan has exposed critical shifts in alliances in a war the United States is still trying to fight. Most importantly, there appear to be consultations, at least, between the Taliban and Iran about how to meet the growing threat posed by the extremists of ISIS, as the self-proclaimed Islamic State is widely known.
An Afghan Taliban commander and former provincial governor in the days when one-eyed Mullah Omar ruled Afghanistan tells The Daily Beast that the battle on May 24 in the Khaki Safe area of Farah province near the Iranian border left at least 22 people dead, including 13 associated with ISIS and nine Taliban. “This was the biggest fight between the Afghan Taliban and ISIS followers so far,” said the former governor, who is still deeply involved with Taliban military operations and asked that his name not be used.
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