KABUL -- Recent counterterrorism operations across multiple theaters demonstrate how sustained international pressure has severely degraded the operational capabilities of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).
The previously feared terrorist group now relies on scattered cells and online propaganda rather than territorial control, regional analysts told Salaam Times.
The extent of this degradation became evident through a series of operations in August.
In Afghanistan, authorities dismantled an ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) cell in Nangarhar province's Darah Noor district on August 13, killing local commander Haji Musa and several associates.
The following day, they arrested another key ISIS-K operative in Kabul's Bagrami district, seizing three rockets intended for an urban attack.
Five days later in the northern Syrian town of Atimah, US forces killed a senior ISIS financier who had been planning attacks across Syria and Iraq while maintaining extensive network connections throughout the region.
Virtual threat
These strikes illustrate a broader shift in the terrorist landscape, according to the analysts.
"ISIS has become very weak and has confined its battlefield presence largely to virtual space," said Kabul-based political analyst Mohammad Shafi Nizami.
"The group's physical power is far less than what it promotes online."
The terrorist group has lost more than 95% of its former territory, forcing remaining operatives into hiding and increasing dependence on online recruitment and propaganda rather than territorial governance, Nizami added.
The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019 accelerated the group's structural disintegration, creating leadership voids that have never been adequately filled.
"After his death, ISIS has faced managerial and structural weaknesses," said Kabul-based political analyst Muhammad Kazem Hosseini.
The group has lacked a unified leadership to coordinate its operations effectively, he added.
The systematic elimination of leadership triggered a cascade effect across the group's hierarchy.
Without centralized command structures, regional affiliates have pursued independent agendas, further weakening coordination and strategic effectiveness, the analysts said.
Global impact
International military pressure has prevented ISIS from restoring its capabilities in multiple regions.
"Global counterterrorism efforts have crippled ISIS's backbone," Hosseini said. "Without such military pressure, the group could once again seize cities and commit mass killings."
This sustained campaign has produced measurable security benefits. "Terrorist attacks worldwide have declined, whether in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East, or elsewhere," said Herat-based university professor Faisal Azimi.
"To ensure security and stability worldwide, the fight against terrorism must continue," Azimi emphasized.
"If military pressure eases, there is a risk of ISIS and other terrorist groups regaining strength."
The expulsion of violent extremist groups has enabled civilian populations in formerly occupied regions to rebuild communities and infrastructure, creating conditions for improved quality of life and economic development.
Maintaining these gains, however, requires sustained global cooperation, with all countries and communities playing active roles in ensuring continued stability and security, Azimi said.
