JakartaHerald.com - The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been held responsible for the mass shooting at Crocus City Hall, near Moscow, Russia, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
According to AFP, since the Taliban took over Kabul, the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISKP) - ISIS branch in Afghanistan, has been successful in recruiting members from its rival groups.
This group has also repeatedly demonstrated the willingness and capability to launch attacks beyond the borders of Afghanistan.
For example, the explosion in August 2021 claimed by the group resulted in the deaths of 100 civilians and 13 US soldiers at Kabul airport. This occurred as the United States withdrew from the Afghan capital and the Taliban seized power.
This incident marked the deadliest attack ISIS has ever carried out against the US. Washington has offered a $10 million reward for information on the leader of ISKP, Sanaullah Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir. The US Department of State stated that Ghafari is responsible for approving all ISIS-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding for these operations.
Moreover, the US Department of State designated Ghafari as a foreign terrorist in November 2021. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Director of Research at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), mentioned that ISIS's branch in Afghanistan was built by emissaries of the group arriving from Iraq and Syria.
This differs from the phenomenon in other countries; existing terrorist groups have pledged allegiance to support ISIS's cause.
They have a very close relationship with the central ISIS leadership, more so than other affiliates, according to Schindler.
Lucas Webber, one of the founders of Militant Wire, highlighted how ISKP emerged as the most internationally savvy branch of ISIS, creating propaganda in more languages than any other branch since the peak of the caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
The country has launched an ambitious and aggressive campaign to enhance its external operational capabilities and target various enemies abroad.
Western and Russian security agencies have long been monitoring ISKP. On Tuesday, German authorities arrested two Afghan jihadist suspects believed to be planning an attack on the Swedish parliament.
The burning of the Quran in public has also heightened terrorist threats to Stockholm. One of the suspects is believed to have traveled from Germany to join ISKP.
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