RASC News Agency: The United Front of Afghanistan, led by former Afghanistan special forces commander Sami Sadat, has announced that ISIS-Khorasan currently fields nine thousand soldiers in Afghanistan and possesses the capacity to launch attacks “across the entire region.” A detailed report from the United Front of Afghanistan concerning ISIS threats was released on Wednesday, June 5.
According to the report, the number of ISIS-Khorasan forces stationed in Afghanistan is “rapidly increasing,” and they have developed the operational capability for suicide bombings, insurgencies, and assassinations in cities. They can target government facilities and economic centers throughout the region. The Intelligence Commission of the United Front of Afghanistan described the ISIS network in Khorasan as the largest and most powerful active center of ISIS in the world, with its leadership based in Balochistan, Pakistan, and operational members stationed in Afghanistan.
The report indicates that by the end of 2023, many senior ISIS members from Syria and Iraq had traveled to the Balochistan region of Pakistan and the Kunar province of Afghanistan. According to the report, following ISIS’s defeat in Syria and Iraq, members from Central Asia also moved to Afghanistan and Pakistan, leading to the strengthening of ISIS-Khorasan.
The United Front of Afghanistan warned, “ISIS-Khorasan has the ideological, human, and recruitment capacity to carry out attacks in Europe and the United States, and their capabilities have been proven in Afghanistan and Iran.” While the Taliban claim to have subdued ISIS, the group continues to sporadically target Taliban forces and civilians, primarily Shias and Hazaras.
Central Asian countries have repeatedly expressed concern about the presence and expansion of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan and have called on the Taliban to take measures to combat this group.
