During a press conference at the Pentagon a reporter asked Rear Admiral Kirby about the presence of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in Afghanistan.
In response the Pentagon Press Secretary acknowledged those concerns were valid, but didn’t get into much detail on that subject.
His exchange with that reporter went like this:
“Reporter’s Question: (off mic) Afghanistan. Could you please update about General Campbell, NATO commander in Afghanistan. There is a different report published about the ISIS. Some Afghan authorities say that yeah, they are sure, ISIS show up in Afghanistan. And the general said, no, he hasn’t seen any evidence. In case of ISIS, do up in Afghanistan, what will be U.S. reaction? Because it’s really big concern for Afghans.
REAR ADM. KIRBY: I don’t think General Campbell said no he hadn’t seen any. I think he said it’s something that they’re watching and they’re mindful of, and that — I mean our assessment is that if — and I have seen no evidence here that there is any significant ISIL presence in Afghanistan or a strong recruiting effort. But we can’t rule that out either.
And that’s what General Campbell, I think, was talking about. And we’re certainly watching that very, very closely. This is a — this is a group that has not only does it espouse a brutal ideology, but they’re — they’re somewhat evangelistic about it, and they want to grow, they want to increase, they want to inspire others, so we couldn’t rule it out that they might not — that they might, that they wouldn’t — we couldn’t rule out that they wouldn’t try in some way to inspire or to attract recruits from Afghanistan or from — from the Taliban.
But the general also said, and he’s right, I mean the Taliban and their — their ideology, if you will, is different from ISIL. They have a — you know, they, it’s a completely different strain. And they see themselves a part of the future of Afghanistan. They have wanted to govern Afghanistan since, you know, since they lost power in the early 2000s. It’s a different mindset altogether, a different organization. But we can’t rule that out, and I think that’s what the general was referring to.”
Source: Pentagon
Note: Kirby
See related video: ISIS threat emerges in Afghanistan http://www.msnbc.com/alex-witt/watch/isis-threat-emerges-in-afghanistan-385742403822
See also video: Two U.S. soldiers killed by ISIS in Afghanistan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feiYDIgkjLo