U.S. Commander: ISIS Attempting to Establish Caliphate in Afghanistan

ISIS is trying to establish a caliphate inside Afghanistan, the country's top U.S. commander said. 

"Right now we see them very focused on trying to establish their caliphate, the Khorasan caliphate, inside Afghanistan," General John Nicholson said in an exclusive interview with NBC News. 

The push is "principally a non-Afghan movement," Nicholson said. 

According to Nicholson, the U.S. has seen foreign fighters, particularly Uzbeks from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, joining the Islamic State Khorasan, or IS-K. The U.S. also sees many Pakistani Pashtun from the Pakistani Taliban who joined IS-K moving into Afghanistan to fight, he said.

Contact Us