US Looking for Operational Link Between Afghan Groups, ISIL - State Dep't

The United States is monitoring the Islamic State’s move into Afghanistan in response to reports that some elements of the Taliban have joined the extremist group, the US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a press briefing.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Psaki noted that the United States would determine if there are operational links between the two groups.

“We are aware that some members of the Taliban have rebranded themselves as Islamic State and we are monitoring closely to see whether that will have a meaningful impact on the ground,” Psaki said on Wednesday.

Describing the Islamic State’s presence in Afghanistan as “fairly nascent,” Psaki explained that if any Taliban or ISIL fighters threaten the United States or Coalition forces in Afghanistan, the US military has the ability to address the threat.

Earlier on Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told a joint meeting of the US Congress that the Islamic State has sent advanced forces to Southern and Western Afghanistan to test the country’s vulnerabilities. The Islamic State, Ghani said, seeks to destabilize the entire Central Asian region.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama announced he would hold the number of US troops in Afghanistan at 9,800 to provide additional support to the Afghan government as the Spring and Summer fighting season commences, reversing a previous decision for a gradual drawdown of all troops by the end of 2015.

The United States also pledged to seek congressional funding to maintain Afghan security forces at 352,000 through 2017.

The United States-led NATO mission formally ended its combat role in Afghanistan on December 31, 2014. The remaining US and NATO forces advise, train and assist the Afghan security forces, although the US Special Forces also have a mandate to carry out and support counter-terrorism operations.