Islamic State pamphlets and flags have appeared in parts of Pakistan and India, alongside signs that the ultraradical group is inspiring militants even in the strongholds of the Taliban and al-Qaida.
A splinter group of Pakistan's Taliban insurgents, Jamat-ul Ahrar, has already declared its support for the well-funded and ruthless Islamic State fighters, who have captured large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria in a drive to set up a self-declared caliphate.
"IS (Islamic State) is an Islamic Jihadi organization working for the implementation of the Islamic system and creation of the Caliphate," Jamat-ul Ahrar's leader and a prominent Taliban figure, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told Reuters by telephone. "We respect them. If they ask us for help, we will look into it and decide."