ISLAMABAD -- The growing strength of ISIS-K, the Islamic State's regional affiliate in Afghanistan, has unsettled both the new Taliban regime in Kabul and neighboring countries, including China, Pakistan and Iran.
Leveraging the U.S. withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, ISIS-K has positioned itself as Afghanistan's last jihadi movement. It has been recruiting from within the Taliban as well as among transnational and ethnic separatist movements in the region. It has also drawn from Afghanistan's former military ranks.
