Taliban militants in Afghanistan have warned ISIS insurgents fighting in Iraq to ‘avoid extremism’ in a plea for unity among jihadists.

It urged the Sunni faction, which has been waging a bloody insurgency against Shi’ite Muslim groups in Iraq, to avoid ‘distrusting’ other Islamist groups.

Commanders of the al-Qaeda-linked group also pleaded with the fighters of ISIS, which recently declared an Islamic ‘Caliphate’ in its captured territory, to respect the rule of law.

ISIS began life as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, but was disowned by the global terror network after bolstering its strength by merging with other groups in Syria.

The call for unity was uploaded to the Afghan Taliban’s website this week. It did not name ISIS directly, but clearly referred to the group, who are now thought to be the world’s most powerful jihadists.

The message, originally in Arabic, said: ‘It is worthy for a shurah (consultation) council to be formed from the leaders of all the jihadi factions and the distinguished people among the experts and the scholars in Sham (Syria) in order to solve their conflicts.’

’Muslims also should avoid extremism in religion, and judging others without evidence, and distrusting one another,’ it said. . .