[ToloNews] A research paper by the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies (AISS) has found that ISIS’s Khorasan branch which operates in Afghanistan is "fragile and disunited."
The research paper titled "Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Wilayat Khorasan: Phony Caliphate or Bona Fide Province?" was based on a series of interviews with a number of ISIS prisoners in which they talked about the techniques and ideology of the group.
Speaking at the ceremony to present the research paper, Dr. Dawood Azami, head of the BBC in London (Pashto department), said that ISIS is the first group in Afghanistan that has challenged the Taliban
 ...mindless ferocity in a turban...
both militarily and ideologically.
According to Azami, ISIS not only rejected the "Emirate" but also challenged the legitimacy of the group's leader by declaring the caliphate.
"All fighters operating within the ranks of ISIS never joined this group because of their ideology, they joined ISIS because of some financial issues," said Hussain Ehsani, an AISS researcher.
According to the research paper, ISIS holy warriors are currently operating in the north, east and some areas in the west of the country, and they receive financial and military support from neighboring countries.
Some other speakers at the event raised deep concerns over what they described as the influence of ISIS among some young people.
"it's natural-- some of these people who do not see a future for themselves are being recruited by such groups very easily, said Sima Samar, the former head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).
"Most of their activities are limited in the country, rather than coordinated and organizational activity, which is seen in Iraq or Syria, although some of their activities are concerning," said Ramin Kamangar, an AISS researcher.
The researchers suggested that the Afghan government learn from the ways the Iraqi Kurds tackled ISIS in their areas.
Researchers said that the Afghan government needs to define a clear strategy for preventing the entry of ISIS affiliates into Afghanistan’s territory.
Although the Afghan government has in the past said that ISIS has been defeated in Afghanistan, there are reports that the group is still active in some areas of Kunar and Baghlan provinces. 
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