Monitoring Desk: The village of Bibi Mariam in Darzab town of Jowzjan Province of Afghanistan has become latest camp of Islamic State commonly known as Daesh.
The distance between the Afghan Uzbek border and Darzab, Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan is approximately 144 km (89 mi). The border runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan to the tripoint with Tajikistan along the Amu River, making it the shortest of Uzbekistan’s external borders.
According to available information, women, children and men have been seen in camp belonging to different nationalities who are soldiers of Daesh. Information suggest that fighters from Middle East as well as from different Central Asian republics are housing in the area with their families with the administrative and financial support of Afghan Taliban regime.
Darzab Town is strategically important and had been under the control of foreign terrorists in past also. It is interesting to note that Daesh is spreading from eastern Nangarhar to northern Darzab Town with the administrative support of Afghan Taliban. It is pertinent to mention that US intelligence agencies are raising this issue in their reports that Afghan Taliban are not taking any action against foreign terrorists belonging to Daesh who are relocating from Middle East to Afghanistan. Presence of Daesh in mountainous region of Darzab has increased security concerns of Central Asian states particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as Darzab is not far away from Afghan-Uzbek border.
Tajikistan is also voicing its concern over presence of terrorists in Afghan-Tajik border areas but no military action from Afghan Taliban has yet been taken against Daesh in Central Asian bordering areas.
Pakistan is also worried as Daesh presence in Kunar and Jalalabad is a serious security risk for a country which is facing the brunt of terrorism since it participated in Afghan-Russo Jihad and then joined western powers in war on terror.
