- ISIL-K is the most serious threat in South Asia regionally and internationally, per UN report
- ISIL-K has about 2,000 fighters recruiting in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Russian North Caucasus
- ISIL-K operates mainly in northern Afghanistan near Pakistan, training minors in suicide tactics
A recent United Nations report has described the so-called Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) as the "most serious threat" in South Asia, both regionally and internationally.
According to the report by the UN Security Council's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, ISIL-K presently maintains an estimated force of 2,000 fighters, with active recruitment taking place inside Afghanistan as well as across neighbouring Central Asian countries and the Russian North Caucasus. Terrorists from other regional groups are also reported to be joining ISIL-K ranks.
Concentration Of Threat
The report states that ISIL-K fighters are concentrated in northern and north-eastern Afghanistan, particularly in areas bordering Pakistan. These zones have become critical operating spaces for the group, which uses madrassas not just for religious indoctrination, but also to train minors in suicide tactics. A specific suicide training programme for children, aged approximately 14 years, the report states.
The group's strategic objective, the report says, includes launching attacks outside Afghanistan, beginning with Central Asia. There is concern that foreign terrorist fighters, particularly those currently based in Syria, may relocate to Afghanistan to join ISIL-K with the aim of exporting violence beyond Afghan borders.
Sanaulla Ghafari
The report states that the leadership of ISIL-K remains under the command of Sanaullah Ghafari (also known by his UN designation QDi.431).
"ISIL-K continued to prioritise attacks on Shia communities, the de facto authorities and foreigners. Under the leadership of Sanaullah Ghafari (QDi.431), fighters were scattered across the northern and north-eastern provinces of Afghanistan. ISIL-K tried to establish operations in the States neighbouring Afghanistan," the report reads.
Other Threat Actors
Beyond ISIL-K, the UN report also highlights a range of other terrorist threats across Central and South Asia. Among these is The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 people dead.
Some Member States told the UN panel that the attack would not have been possible without operational support from Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), stating that TRF operates as a front for LeT.
The Taliban administration in Kabul, which remains unrecognised internationally, is cited in the report as continuing to provide a permissive environment for several terror groups. These include Al-Qaida and its affiliates, such as Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Jamaat Ansarullah, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP).
