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Moscow attack: what you need to know about the branch of the Islamic State that claimed responsibility for the attack
Fighters linked to the Islamic State terrorist group have claimed responsibility for the deadly attack near Moscow on Friday March 22. This is a group based in Khorasan, a region which corresponds to medieval Afghanistan.
(France 2)
Fighters linked to the Islamic State terrorist group have claimed responsibility for the deadly attack near Moscow on Friday March 22. This is a group based in Khorasan, a region which corresponds to medieval Afghanistan.
The black flag of the Islamic State (IS) group, the weapons raised, and the desire to establish a Khalifa. In propaganda videos from two years ago, fighters pledge allegiance to the terrorist group. The name of this regional branch founded in 2015: EI in Khorassan. A reference to the medieval name of Afghanistan. Khorasan envelops several countries of Central Asia. The Islamic State group is recruiting more and more in these republics, especially since it is retreating in Afghanistan. The ruling Taliban are in fact waging a fierce war.
Recruitment and actions that go beyond Afghan borders
France 24 journalist Wassim Nasr, a specialist in jihadist movements, specifies that “the Taliban have deprived the Islamic State of a territorial base (…) but they cannot prevent it from recruiting in Afghan cities, nor in the countries of Central Asia”. According to the United Nations, IS in Khorasan has 4 to 6,000 fighters, numbers which have doubled in five years. Known for their brutality, they are often recruited in the countries where they are to carry out their actions. In recent years, they have increased bloody attacks outside Afghanistan.
Among Our sources:
The world
Washington Institute
Longwarjournal
www.frstrategie.org
United Nations
Wassim Nasr, journalist France 24
David Gauzere, author The green cauldron of Central Asian IslamL’Harmattan editions
Myriam Benraad political scientist, doctor in political science from Sciences Po Paris, researcher at the Institute for Research and Studies on the Arab and Muslim World and at the Foundation for Strategic Research.
Non-exhaustive list.