Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Kabul Bus Attack

Facts

The Islamic State group (IS) has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a bus carrying Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, which killed seven people and injured 20 others on Tuesday.¹
Tuesday's attack on Kabul's Shia Hazara community comes after the Sunni militant group bombed a sports club on Oct. 26, leaving four dead and wounding seven.²
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, IS — which typically targets religious minority sects — has killed over 650 and injured nearly 1.2K people in at least 283 attacks.³
Last month, the IS group's regional branch IS-K bombed a mosque in Baghlan during Friday prayers, killing 10 worshippers.⁴
Earlier this year, in one of its deadliest attacks of 2023, IS allegedly killed at least 34 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters in the Syrian desert of al-Rasafah.⁵

Narrative A, as provided by VOA. Despite promising to eliminate terror in Afghanistan, the Taliban has done little to fight militant groups since taking over. The Islamic State is now coming back in full force, conducting deadly attacks in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Afghanistan is more dangerous than ever, as it reemerges as one of the world's largest terrorism incubators.
Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post. It's hard to refute that the Taliban has been successful in its fight against terror groups such as al-Qaeda and IS. While IS remains a threat, bombings and suicide attacks have reduced dramatically in Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover. IS isn't nearly as prominent as it was in the past — the Taliban have made significant progress in locating and removing their key leaders.