The rise of Isis-K, the Islamist terrorist group with ‘merciless’ tactics
Last week it claimed responsibility for the ‘dramatic assault’ on Kabul airport – an attack that killed up to 170 people
Until recently, few people had even heard of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (Isis-K), said Raffaello Pantucci in The Daily Telegraph. The Islamist group – which takes its name from a historical region encompassing parts of Iran, Afghanistan and other bits of central Asia – is thought to have been behind “some of the most atrocious massacres in recent years in Afghanistan”.
But it only announced itself to the world last week, when it claimed responsibility for the “dramatic assault” on Kabul airport – an attack that killed up to 170 people, including 13 US troops. The suicide bombing – which horrified the Taliban as much as anyone else – represents the “opening salvo” in the group’s quest to establish itself as the foremost jihadist organisation in the region.
The central Asian offshoot of Islamic State, Isis-K arrived in Afghanistan in 2014, said Anthony Loyd in The Times. At first, commanders in the US coalition were “dismissive” of the threat it posed. But its “merciless” tactics, mimicking those of Isis in Syria and Iraq, soon made them reconsider. By 2015, it had declared war on the Taliban, which it views as theologically corrupt and with which it competes for recruits and resources.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Soon after that, it began releasing propaganda videos of Taliban elders being lined up and “blown to pieces”. Its cruelties became legendary. Jailed captives told of saucepans full of severed heads being left outside their cells. In 2018, after a string of attacks carried out in Pakistan and Afghanistan by Isis-K, it was ranked among the world’s four deadliest terror organisations.
Today, the group has only between 500 and 1,500 fighters left in Afghanistan, said The Economist: it lost some 12,000 operatives in the three years from 2015 as a result of counter-terror strikes by the US and Pakistan. But despite having been rooted out of its eastern strongholds, it has managed to “strike repeatedly” against Afghan cities. And though it doesn’t pose an immediate threat to the West, Isis-K is now said to have absorbed defectors from the Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied group with long experience of conducting attacks in Kabul.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The issue of women and conscription
Under the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's unconventional approach to reconstruction
Under the radar Digitally savvy nation uses popular app to file compensation claims, access funds and rebuild destroyed homes
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Ukraine's leadership reset work?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy hints at ousting of popular military chief, but risks backlash amid dwindling munitions, delayed funding and Russian bombardment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Imran Khan sentenced to 10 years: how powerful is Pakistan's military?
Today's Big Question The country's armed forces ignore country's economic woes, control its institutions and, critics say, engineer election results
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Iran's endgame?
Today's Big Question Tehran seeks to supplant US and Saudi Arabia as dominant power in Middle East while forcing Israel to end Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostages
Speed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 years
Speed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published