UN raises concern over expansion of Islamic State across Afghanistan

New York: The UN special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons on Wednesday raised concern over the expansion of the Islamic State (ISIS) across Afghanistan, which used to be only active in the capital Kabul.

Lyons during a UN Security Council meeting about UN assistance to Afghanistan pointed out that the Islamic State group used to be only active in the capital Kabul and several provinces, but it now seems to be present in nearly all 34 provinces and is increasingly active, reported NHK World.

She said 334 attacks had been attributed to ISIS in the first ten months of this year, more than five times the figure for the whole of last year.

She also warned that the Taliban’s inability to stem the expansion of the Islamic State militant group is leading to a deterioration of security in the country, reported NHK World.

She further said that such attacks started rising sharply after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August.

The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.

ISIS has carried out several attacks including an attack on Kabul Airport during an evacuation by the US forces following the fall of Kabul.

The Taliban’s struggle to bring stability to Afghanistan has been dogged by a series of bloody assaults by ISIS.