The branch of the Islamic State group that U.S. authorities say was behind Friday’s deadly attack in Moscow is one of the last significant adversaries the Taliban government still faces in Afghanistan. It has carried out repeated attacks there, notably against the Russian embassy, in recent years.
This branch – known as the Islamic State in Khorasan, or ISIS-K – describes itself as the great rival of the Taliban, who it says have failed to implement true sharia law since taking over. power in 2021. It seeks to undermine the Taliban’s relations with their regional allies and depicts a government incapable of ensuring security in the country, according to experts.
In 2022, ISIS-K carried out attacks on the Russian and Pakistani embassies in Kabul, Afghanistan, and on a hotel where many Chinese nationals were staying. More recently, the group has also threatened to attack the Chinese, Indian and Iranian embassies in Afghanistan and released a stream of anti-Russian propaganda.
It also struck outside Afghanistan. In January, ISIS-K carried out two bombings in Iran that killed dozens and injured hundreds during a memorial service for slain former Iranian top general Qassem Soleimani. by an American drone attack four years earlier.
In recent months, the Taliban’s relations with Russia, China and Iran have warmed. Although no country has officially recognized the Taliban government, Russia nevertheless admitted a Taliban military attaché to Moscow at the beginning of the month, while China officially accredited a Taliban ambassador to Beijing. These two initiatives are considered signs of mutual trust with the Taliban authorities.
ISIS has both denounced the Kremlin for its interventions in Syria and condemned the Taliban for collaborating with Russian authorities decades after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
Its propaganda describes the Taliban as “betraying the history of Afghanistan and betraying their religion by befriending their former enemies,” explains Riccardo Valle, research director of the Khorasan Diary platform. of research established in Islamabad.
“Egregious violation”
For more than two years since seizing power in Afghanistan, Taliban security forces have waged a relentless campaign to try to eliminate IS-K and have successfully prevented the group from seizing territory from interior of Afghanistan. Last year, Taliban security forces killed at least eight ISIS leaders, according to U.S. officials, and pushed many other fighters into neighboring Pakistan.
However, EI-K remains resilient and remains active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. In Afghanistan, he targeted Taliban security forces in hit-and-run attacks and, as he came under increasing pressure from Taliban counterterrorism operations, staged attacks that made headlines across the country. the country.
The day before the attack on the Moscow concert hall, the group carried out a suicide bombing in Kandahar, the cradle of the Taliban movement, sending a strong message: even in their stronghold, Taliban soldiers are not safe.
After the Moscow attack, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, said in a statement posted on social media that the country “condemns in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attack in Moscow ” and “considers it a flagrant violation of all human norms.”
“Countries in the region must adopt a coordinated, clear and resolute stance against such incidents aimed at destabilizing the region,” he added.
This article was originally published in the New York Times.
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