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Analysts describe relations between members of ISIS-K and other terrorist groups as intertwined, with dissension and factions such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban often defecting from these groups to ISIS-K.
Shortly after the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Moscow, Russia on the night of March 22, responsibility for the crime was claimed by a branch of the so-called Islamic State, which calls itself the "Islamic State of Khorasan Province" (ISIS-K). . The statement was published by the ISIS-linked Amaq news agency and shared on the Telegram messaging platform.
Who is behind ISIS-K?
ISIS-K has a reputation as one of the most violent branches of IS. The transnational jihadist terrorist group has killed thousands of people in attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2015.
The group's name is derived from Khorasan, an ancient name for an area that includes parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, although their activities extend beyond this region.
ISIS-K was founded in 2014 by a group of Taliban defectors and members of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The group advocates a violent interpretation of jihadism.
In 2015, the group officially described itself as an ISIS branch in the Khorasan region. Like ISIS, ISIS-K aims to create a transnational caliphate, a state for Muslims governed by their radical interpretation of Islam.
Are there contacts with other jihadist groups?
Analysts describe relations between members of ISIS-K and other terrorist groups as intertwined, with dissension and factions such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban often defecting from these groups to ISIS-K.
Before the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, both the US and the former Afghan government fought ISIS-K in Afghanistan and killed many of the organization's middle and senior leaders.
However, the security vacuum created by the US withdrawal gave this group a new space. This enabled it to establish further training camps and expand international networks.
Relations with the Taliban
The Taliban say they are trying to curb ISIS-K's activities and claim their security forces have arrested thousands of members of the group since the Taliban returned to power.
However, the Taliban's ability to contain the group has been seen in media reports as inadequate and ineffective as attacks by the group on ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan have become more frequent.
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern that groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS-K, through their ties to members of the Taliban, could benefit from and possess the most advanced NATO weapons left behind by the troops. international when they withdrew from Afghanistan. According to the UN, the country has become a haven for them due to the lack of security oversight.
The latest activities of ISIS-K
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the killing of 95 people in the Iranian city of Kerman on January 3, 2024. The agency reports that, as in the recent attack in Moscow, the US secret services warned the government in Tehran several weeks in advance of the preparation of an attack.
Since its recent revival, the group has increasingly focused its attention on Russia. In March, US intelligence officials indicated that the group was active in Russia and was planning attacks in Moscow.
Russia's FSB security service announced that it prevented the group's March 7 armed attack on a synagogue in the Kaluga region near Moscow.
According to experts, one of the motives of the terrorist attacks on Russia may be the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war. Moscow, according to experts, supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has carried out airstrikes on ISIS positions. Many ISIS leaders have since accused Putin of having Muslim blood on his hands.
ISIS-K propaganda is also based on the history of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The government of the Soviet Union occupied the country from 1979 to 1989.
The group is also trying to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe. German police have arrested several ISIS-K supporters in recent years. As recently as March, two suspected Islamic State supporters were arrested in the state of NRW. They were accused of planning an attack on the Swedish parliament.
After the attack in Moscow, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that this group currently represents the biggest Islamic threat in Germany and that the risk of terrorist attacks in Germany remains high.
After the attack in Moscow, France announced that it has announced the highest state of readiness against terrorist attacks. The highest state of alert is declared in France when it is assumed that there is a real threat of an imminent terrorist attack.
The leaders of ISIS-K have threatened that there will be revenge attacks against Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark because of the burning of the Koran in these countries./DW
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