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ISIS-Khorasan

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ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K or ISKP) was the representative and branch of ISIS in Greater Khorasan, which announced its existence in 2015. ISIS-Khorasan has been considered one of the most extremist and violent groups among armed jihadists. The full name of this group was "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province". "Greater Khorasan" is a significant and influential part of "Islamic Civilization" that includes regions of some modern-day countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan.

The general strategy of ISIS-Khorasan includes both local and global goals. Like ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan considers Shi'as to be a group of disbelievers (Kafir) and polytheists (Mushrik). This group has been described as a fierce enemy of Iran, and in its media, it attacks Iran with accusations of being Shi'a, committing apostasy, and having ties with the Taliban. In addition to Shi'as, Sufi communities and places administered by international organizations have also been targets of this group.

ISIS-Khorasan has carried out terrorist operations in various regions. This group has also conducted operations in Iran; including the terrorist attack on the Kerman Martyrs' Cemetery during the fourth anniversary ceremony of Qasem Soleimani in 2024, which led to the martyrdom of 94 people. Furthermore, in 2022 and 2023, ISIS-Khorasan attacked twice the Shah Cheragh shrine, one of the Shi'a pilgrimage sites in Shiraz. In the 2022 attack, thirteen people were martyred, and in the 2023 attack, two people were martyred.

Introduction and Formation

Hafiz Saeed Khan, the first leader of ISIS-Khorasan, speaking in a propaganda video for the group.

ISIS-Khorasan announced its existence in 2015[1] at a time when ISIS and its self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria were at the peak of their power.[2] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader of ISIS, introduced this group as the Islamic State of Khorasan Province following the allegiance of ISIS-Khorasan members.[3] This group considered itself the representative and branch of the central ISIS.[4][5] The full name of this group was "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province".[6] ISIS-Khorasan has been reckoned as the most dangerous,[7] most extremist, and most violent group among armed jihadists.[8] This group has also been called a fierce enemy of Iran[9] which has carried out terrorist operations on Iranian soil.[10]

Like central ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan relies on the ancient history of territories to legitimize the creation of an Islamic government.[11] Most of this group's activities were in the historical geography of Greater Khorasan.[12] Khorasan is the name of a historical region that encompassed areas of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, referred to as "Greater Khorasan".[13] "Greater Khorasan" was significant as an important and influential part of "Islamic Civilization".[14] The ISIS-Khorasan group initially operated in the Nangarhar, Zabul, Khost, and Kunar provinces in Afghanistan.[15] This group was active in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.[16] After the weakening of this group in a certain period, ISIS-Pakistan announced its existence, but after a while, it again came under the management of ISIS-Khorasan.[17]

Goals and View on Shi'a

The general strategy of ISIS-Khorasan includes local and global goals, and in a video released in 2015, it acknowledged that it has goals beyond regional objectives.[18] Like ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan considers Shi'as to be a group of disbelievers (Kafir) and polytheists (Mushrik)[19] and, unlike the Taliban, introduces Shi'a minorities, including the Hazaras, as priority targets.[20] In its media, this group attacks Iran with accusations of being Shi'a, apostasy, and having ties with the Taliban.[21] The group also pursues these thoughts in its publications.[22]

In addition to Shi'as, Sufi communities and places administered by international organizations have also been targets of this group.[23] ISIS-Khorasan seeks to destabilize and overthrow regional governments to establish the Khorasan Province or the intended "Islamic Caliphate".[24] The Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan, two Islamist and fundamentalist movements, have ideological differences.[25] The history of conflict between the Taliban and the ISIS-Khorasan group indicates a bloody confrontation between these two groups.[26]

Forces and Commanders

The first emir of ISIS-Khorasan was Hafiz Saeed Khan, one of the ringleaders of the Pakistani Taliban.[27] He was killed in a drone strike by US forces.[28] After the killing of Hafiz Saeed Khan and his deputy, "Abdul Hasib" took over the leadership of this group. He led the group until 2017. The most significant action of ISIS-Khorasan during Abdul Hasib's time was the attack on the military hospital in Kabul, which resulted in more than 50 people killed and hundreds wounded. After this event, Abdul Hasib was killed in Nangarhar province. His successor was a person named "Abu Sayyid", and after him, lesser-known individuals took over the presidency of ISIS-Khorasan, all of whom were killed. Eventually, a person named "Aslam Farooqi" became the commander of ISIS-Khorasan and was arrested by the Taliban some time later. Today, there is no information about his fate.[29] After the arrest of Aslam, a young man named "Shahab al-Muhajir" (Sanaullah Ghafari) became the leader of ISIS-Khorasan,[30] although some reports indicate he has been killed.[31]

The initial members of ISIS-Khorasan were formed by some fugitive forces of the Pakistani Taliban[32], dissatisfied Taliban in Afghanistan, some members of Takfiri groups from Central Asia, and also some forces from central ISIS.[33] After the destruction of central ISIS in Iraq and Syria, a portion of the forces joined ISIS-Khorasan.[34] At the peak of its power, this group had about 3,000 members but has suffered significant casualties in various conflicts.[35]

Terrorist Operations

The Khorasan branch of ISIS initiated dozens of deadly attacks on civilians, especially Shi'as; among these targets are schools, clinics, and markets associated with Shi'as. The Taliban have strongly condemned these attacks.[36] ISIS-Khorasan has also carried out attacks outside of Afghanistan to provoke its diverse body of fighters and supporters and to mobilize potential forces.[37] Some of the most important and largest terrorist operations of ISIS-Khorasan are as follows:

  • 2024 Kerman bombings: An attack on the participants of the fourth anniversary ceremony of Qasem Soleimani in the Kerman Martyrs' Cemetery on 3 January 2024.[38] In this attack, 94 people were martyred, 56 of whom were women.[39] The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence described the two suicide bombers as ISIS members in a statement.[40]
  • Attack on Shah Cheragh Shrine (2023): A terrorist act by ISIS[44] on 13 August 2023 at the Shah Cheragh shrine[45] where armed attackers opened fire on pilgrims and shrine security forces, leading to the martyrdom of two people[46] and the wounding of six others.[47]
  • In April 2022, an explosion in a Shi'a mosque in Mazar Sharif, Afghanistan, with 40 martyrs and 100 wounded.[48]
  • In a terrorist attack on the twenty-fifth anniversary ceremony of Abdul Ali Mazari in Kabul, about 32 people were martyred and 58 others were wounded.[49]
  • In 2024, they carried out an armed attack on a concert hall near Moscow, the capital of Russia.[50] In this attack, about 133 people were killed.[51]
  • ISIS-Khorasan carried out a suicide attack during the chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport in 2021, which led to the killing of 170 Afghans and 13 American soldiers.[52]
  • In 2020, ISIS-Khorasan attacked a maternity ward in Kabul.[53] In this attack, 24 people, including two newborns, were martyred.[54]

Notes

  1. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 26.
  2. ↑ Gardner, "Who are 'ISIS-Khorasan' and why did they attack the Moscow concert hall?", BBC Persian.
  3. ↑ "What happens to the Khorasan branch of ISIS after the arrest of their leader?", BBC.
  4. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 26.
  5. ↑ "'ISIS-Khorasan' and the Distortion of the Historical-Civilizational Concept of 'Khorasan'", Institute for East Strategic Studies.
  6. ↑ Gardner, "Who are 'ISIS-Khorasan' and why did they attack the Moscow concert hall?", BBC Persian.
  7. ↑ Ahmadi, "Let's Know the Composition of the ISIS-Khorasan Group", Tabnak.
  8. ↑ Gardner, "Who are 'ISIS-Khorasan' and why did they attack the Moscow concert hall?", BBC Persian.
  9. ↑ Ahmadi, "Let's Know the Composition of the ISIS-Khorasan Group", Tabnak.
  10. ↑ "Moment-by-moment news of the Kerman terrorist incident/ Arrest of some agents related to the explosions + Images", IRNA News Agency.
  11. ↑ "What do we know about the 'Islamic State - Khorasan Province'?", Deutsche Welle.
  12. ↑ "'ISIS-Khorasan' and the Distortion of the Historical-Civilizational Concept of 'Khorasan'", Institute for East Strategic Studies.
  13. ↑ "What do we know about the 'Islamic State - Khorasan Province'?", Deutsche Welle.
  14. ↑ "'ISIS-Khorasan' and the Distortion of the Historical-Civilizational Concept of 'Khorasan'", Institute for East Strategic Studies.
  15. ↑ "What happens to the Khorasan branch of ISIS after the arrest of their leader?", BBC.
  16. ↑ "Know the Khorasan Branch of ISIS", Deutsche Welle; "Threats of ISIS for Pakistan", IRNA.
  17. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 26.
  18. ↑ Mahmoudi, "Recognizing ISIS-Khorasan; Current Status and Strategy of the I.R. Iran", p. 104.
  19. ↑ Hashemi, "Investigation of the ISIS-Khorasan Terrorist Group as a Common Threat to Iran and Afghanistan", p. 31.
  20. ↑ Vanesian, "The Dangerous Phenomenon of ISIS-Khorasan", Iranian Diplomacy.
  21. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 29.
  22. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 29.
  23. ↑ Vanesian, "The Dangerous Phenomenon of ISIS-Khorasan", Iranian Diplomacy.
  24. ↑ "'ISIS-Khorasan' and the Distortion of the Historical-Civilizational Concept of 'Khorasan'", Institute for East Strategic Studies.
  25. ↑ Vanesian, "The Dangerous Phenomenon of ISIS-Khorasan", Iranian Diplomacy.
  26. ↑ Ahmadi, "Let's Know the Composition of the ISIS-Khorasan Group", Tabnak.
  27. ↑ Lyon, "Who are ISIS of Khorasan Province?", Iranian Diplomacy.
  28. ↑ Ahmadi, "Let's Know the Composition of the ISIS-Khorasan Group", Tabnak.
  29. ↑ Ahmadi, "Let's Know the Composition of the ISIS-Khorasan Group", Tabnak.
  30. ↑ Mahmoudi, "Recognizing ISIS-Khorasan; Current Status and Strategy of the I.R. Iran", p. 105.
  31. ↑ "ISIS-Khorasan Leader Killed", Mashregh News.
  32. ↑ "How the Islamic State Began in Khorasan and What Position It Is In Now in Nangarhar", Afghanistan Analysts Network.
  33. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 26.
  34. ↑ Lyon, "Who are ISIS of Khorasan Province?", Iranian Diplomacy.
  35. ↑ Gardner, "Who are 'ISIS-Khorasan' and why did they attack the Moscow concert hall?", BBC Persian.
  36. ↑ Lyon, "Who are ISIS of Khorasan Province?", Iranian Diplomacy.
  37. ↑ Mahmoudi, "Recognizing ISIS-Khorasan; Current Status and Strategy of the I.R. Iran", p. 114.
  38. ↑ "Moment-by-moment news of the Kerman terrorist incident/ Arrest of some agents related to the explosions + Images", IRNA News Agency.
  39. ↑ "Names of the martyrs of the Kerman terrorist attack as of today", ISNA.
  40. ↑ "First Announcement of the Ministry of Intelligence Regarding the Terrorist Incident in Kerman", Kayhan.
  41. ↑ "AFP: ISIS claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Shah Cheragh", Fars News Agency.
  42. ↑ "Attack on Shah Cheragh; ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack", BBC News Agency.
  43. ↑ "Latest official statistics of the martyrs of the Shah Cheragh terrorist incident until noon today", Hamshahri Online.
  44. ↑ "ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Shah Cheragh Shrine", Khabar Online.
  45. ↑ "Terrorist incident in Shah Cheragh Shrine with one martyr and 7 injured", Fars News Agency.
  46. ↑ "The number of martyrs of the Shiraz terrorist incident reached 2", Mehr News Agency.
  47. ↑ "Details of the attack on the holy shrine of Shah Cheragh", Young Journalists Club.
  48. ↑ "Explosion in a Shi'a mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan with 40 martyrs and 100 wounded", Mehr News Agency.
  49. ↑ "Attack on Martyr Mazari Musalla; 32 killed and 58 wounded", Daily Afghanistan.
  50. ↑ "Details of the Moscow terrorist attack", Fararu.
  51. ↑ "What do we know about the 'Islamic State - Khorasan Province'?", Deutsche Welle.
  52. ↑ Gardner, "Who are 'ISIS-Khorasan' and why did they attack the Moscow concert hall?", BBC Persian.
  53. ↑ Qasemi, "A Look at the Media Goals of ISIS-Khorasan", p. 27.
  54. ↑ Euronews, "Attack on Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital Maternity Ward; 'Delivering babies continued despite the slaughter'"

References

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