Nemat, an ethnic Uzbek,[4] originally was a religious teacher[5] and mufti[6] in First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum's home village in Jowzjan Province.

He eventually rose to head of the Taliban military committee for the districts of Darzab and Qush Tepa in Jowzjan,[4] and was considered to be an "important" field commander for the insurgents.

His Salafist views aroused great opposition from the local religious establishment of Hanafi clerics, resulting in several public debates between Nemat and a number of his opponents.

[9][12] In course of 2017, ISIL-K grew increasingly powerful in northern Afghanistan, and almost completely captured Darzab District from the Taliban and government forces, including Dostum's militias, in April.

[1][13] An expert speculated that Nemat might have played an important role in the succession;[13] in any case, he became ISIL-K's second-in-command for Jowzjan Province after Mawlavi Habibul Rahman's appointment.

[6] Despite their military successes in 2017, ISIL-K remained threatened by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, as the latter repeatedly attempted to oust the Islamic State militants from Darzab.

The Taliban rejected offers for a ceasefire, and demanded that Nemat, alongside Mawlavi Habibul Rahman and Sibghatullah, ISIL-K's local head of finances be handed over to them.

[11] The government was widely criticised for "its unexplained action of providing asylum and protection to IS-K militants", prompting officials to declare that the Islamic State fighters would be brought to justice.