The mainstream global media are always quick to report on incidents of terror attacks when they take place in the West. Unfortunately the same cannot be said outside of the West, as terror attacks that take place in many other regions of the world rarely make headline news. Just a few weeks ago, on the 22nd April, a bomb was set off in the Afghan city of Kunduz, killing approximately 33 people and injuring 43 people, including children. The bomb was set off in a Sunni Mosque during Friday prayer, a particularly busy time, especially during Ramadan, which is an especially holy month for Muslims.

The attack, which one local shopkeeper described as “horrifying,” has been as of yet unclaimed by any individual group, however many suspect that an affiliate of the “Islamic State” terrorist group known as the IS-K, or the “Islamic State – Khorasan Province” is behind it. This is due to the fact that this is just the latest in a string of attacks during Ramadan that has taken place all over Afghanistan, all claimed by the IS-K. This includes an attack the day before, on the 21st, which included a similar style bombing of a Shia mosque and multiple schools. Not only have these attacks not got as much coverage from the media as they should have, but they have also been largely ignored by the Taliban, the movement currently in charge of Afghanistan. These attacks from IS-K precede comments from the Taliban claiming that they had already defeated the IS in the country.

The deputy minister of information and culture in Afghanistan and spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, made no comment on the fact that the Taliban could have been wrong in their previous statement about the IS. Instead he stated that those who conducted the attack on the 22nd were “seditionists and evil elements.” Regarding the attacks the day before, he expressed his “deepest condolences to the victims.” Whilst he did not comment on the IS and IS-K as being threats to Afghanistan, he did say that “serious efforts are being made to arrest and punish [those responsible].” In what many could see as a response to Mujahid’s comments, the UN deputy special representative of the secretary-general and humanitarian co-ordinator for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, called the attacks “unacceptable,” stating that they were a reminder of the “insecurity and dangers facing Afghan people.”

Alakbarov is correct in his statement about the dangers facing Afghan people. Since the Taliban took back control last year, the country has been an extremely dangerous place for its citizens. Not only because of the increase of terror attacks from the IS-K, but also from the laws that the Taliban have instituted, restricting their freedoms. It is important to remember that a reduction in global media coverage since the Taliban initially took charge does not mean that things are getting easier for Afghan citizens. For the Taliban to be seen as an effective governing party by the international community, they must strive to make the country an better place for people to live in. This includes recognizing that IS-K is not “already defeated,” and is in fact a legitimate threat to Afghanistan.

Whilst overall, the IS-K attacks in Afghanistan have actually reduced since the Taliban takeover, they are still far too active in the area to be seen as a defeated group. The reduction in attacks may not even be due to anything the Taliban is specifically doing right. It could be due to the fact that there is currently a single ruling party in Afghanistan, instead of a civil war. The latter being a state of chaos that a terrorist group would find it easy to exploit. Until this recent string of attacks, the IS and IS-K had been relatively inactive in Afghanistan, with their last major attack occurring last October and November, killing 50 people.

Whilst it is difficult to predict the future actions of a terrorist group, this could be the start of a real resurgence of IS in the region, as another Mosque bombing, just seven days later, killed 50 near Kabul. The group has also increased the number of attacks in neighbouring Pakistan. Pakistani authorities have even recently warned the residents of its third largest city, Faisalabad, that IS authorities are planning an attack in the near future. An increase of terror attacks over the last year in the West could also support the idea that despite a reduction over the last few years, terror attacks could start to become more frequent again.