The Afghan Taliban's intelligence forces are the army that successfully kills Daish. The Taliban claim to have vanquished this group.


Afghan security powers watch during progressing conflicts between security powers and Islamic State aggressors in Nangarhar region, Afghanistan. NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) is the Central Asian province of the Islamic State and continues to operate three years after it was established. The Islamic State declared its extension to the Khorasan locale in 2015, which generally envelops portions of advanced Iran, Focal Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.1 Regardless of starting wariness about the gathering's presence from experts and government authorities the same, IS-K has been answerable for almost 100 assaults against regular folks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as around 250 conflicts with the U.S., Afghan, and Pakistani security powers since January 2017.2 However IS-K still can't seem to lead assaults against the U.S. country, the gathering addresses a persevering through danger to U.S. furthermore, unified interests in South and Focal Asia. Formation and Relationship with ISIS Core In 2014, Pakistani national Hafiz Saeed Khan was chosen to lead IS-K province as its first emir.3 Khan, a veteran Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, brought along other prominent TTP members—including the group's spokesman Sheikh Maqbool and many district chiefs—when he pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in October 2014. This backgrounder provides an overview of the history, leadership, and current The Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point reports that as of 2017, some members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Haqqani Network, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) had also defected to IS-K.8 IS-K has received support from the Islamic State's core leadership in Iraq and Syria since its founding in 2015.4 IS-K's early membership included a contingent of Pakistani militants who emerged in A recent United Nations publication stated that "[ISIS] core continues to facilitate the relocation of some of its key operatives to Afghanistan," including Abu Qutaiba, the Islamic State's former leader in Iraq's Salah al-Din province.12 Afghanistan remains a top destination for foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) in the region, as well as for fighters leaving battlefields in the Levant.13 IS-K's public affairs prowess, global prestige, and sustained resources facilitate the recruitment of these

In December 2017, IS-K fighters graduated from Abu Umar al-Shishani training camp in Kunar province, Afghanistan.14 Leadership and Strategy On July 26, 2016, a United States airstrike in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, killed IS-K founding emir Hafiz Saeed Khan.15 Since Khan's death, IS-K has had three additional emirs, all of whom have also been killed by the United States in targeted strikes: In April 2017, Abdul Hasib was assassinated; On July 11, 2017, Abu Sayed was killed; Prior to joining IS-K, these leaders, as well as those at the district and provincial levels, generally possessed meaningful experience with local militant movements in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. IS-K's overarching strategy includes local and global objectives. Abu Saad Orakzai was killed on August 25, 2018.16 IS-K's media office stated, "There is no doubt that Allah the Almighty blessed us with jihad in the land of Khorasan since a long time ago, and it is from the grace of Allah that we fought any disbeliever who entered the land of Khorasan," in a 2015 video series. The purpose of all of this is to establish the Shariah. It proceeded to pronounce, "Realize that the Islamic Caliphate isn't restricted to a specific country. These young men will fight against anyone who doesn't believe, whether they are in the north, south, west, or east. “17 Like the core leadership of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, IS-K wants to establish a sharia-governed Caliphate in South and Central Asia that will grow as Muslims from all over the region and the world join. IS-K views its territory as extending beyond nation states like Pakistan and Afghanistan and disregards international borders.


IS-K's ideology seeks to rid its territory of foreign “crusaders” who “proselytize Muslims” as well as “apostates,” which include anyone from Sunni Afghan National Army recruits to Hazara Shias.19 While there is no evidence that Islamic Khorasan has been involved in plotting against the U.S. homeland, it has mocked and threatened the United States in its official media streams and called for lone-wolf attacks in the West.


IS-K tailors its global strategy to the specifics of each operating environment in which it is implemented. Take, for instance, the divided state of Kashmir. It is a flashpoint of conflict between Pakistan and India, two nuclear powers that have historically been at odds. It is at the top of the Indian subcontinent. IS-K's strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan seeks to delegitimize governments and degrade public trust in democratic processes, sowing instability in nation-states that the group views as illegitimate.21,22 Kashmir is fertile ground for future IS-K subversion due to perpetual unrest in the disputed territories, precedent of state-sponsored terrorism, and nationalistic leaders dominating politics in both Islamabad and New Delhi. “We caution the Muslims in the province from approaching election centers, and we recommend that they stay away from them so as to safeguard their blood, as these are legitimate targets for us,” IS-K warned residents in Nangarhar province prior to the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in 2018. Following up on their warning to "sabotage the polytheistic process and disrupt it," IS-K claimed multiple attacks on "elections centers" and security forces during the Afghan parliamentary elections. 24 Operations and Strategies According to a recent report on Salafi-jihadist groups by the CSIS Transnational Threats Project, IS-K had between 600 and 800 militants fighting as of October 2018. These numbers are down from top levels in 2016 while its battling force numbered between 3,000 to 4,000 militants.[25] Notwithstanding the abatement in known contenders, the IS-K proceeds to plot and complete undeniable level assaults in Afghanistan and Pakistan and endeavors to trade its fierce philosophy toward the West.26 For instance, IS-K delivered complimentary recordings after the 2016 Islamic State propelled assaults in Orlando, Florida, and Magnanville, France, and thusly delivered extra film arguing for additional solitary individual assaults in the West.27


Notwithstanding the previously mentioned endeavors to move goes after abroad, IS-K's savagery remains to a great extent restricted. IS-K has carried out 84 attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and 11 in Pakistan since January 2017. 819 civilians have been killed in 15 provinces in Afghanistan, with Kabul and Nangarhar experiencing the highest levels of violence.28 IS-K targeted Kabul and other important provincial capitals during the parliamentary elections in October 2018, and future attacks are likely to follow a similar pattern. IS-K "sleeper cells" will continue to plan "visible and disruptive attacks" in Kabul, Herat, and Jalalabad ahead of the 2019 presidential elections.29 In Pakistan, IS-K is responsible for the deaths of 338 civilians since January 2017, primarily as a result of attacks on electoral and sectarian institutions.30 These tactics in Afghanistan and Pakistan further demonstrate IS-K's localized strategy, which is aimed at delegitimizing existing states, degrading trust in democracy,



Inter-Group Competition in Khorasan The Islamic State core's decision to formally expand into South and Central Asia was based on the group's financial flexibility from success in Iraq and Syria and the region's existing recruitment networks and weak governance. However, IS-K's hostility to Pakistan, indiscriminate takfiri violence, and willingness to exploit local grievances have increased opposition to the Islamic State in Pakistan and Afghanistan.31 Its expansion has sparked violent conflict and rivalry with some of the existing militant organizations in the region, most notably the Afghan Taliban.


IS-K & Taliban Clashes 2017-201833 The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has recorded 207 clashes between the Afghan Taliban and IS-K since January 2017.[34] These clashes took place in 14 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, but the majority of them took place in the provinces of Nangarhar, Jowzjan, and Kunar. As these provinces border Pakistan and have served as IS-K's bases of operations since its inception, fighting is likely to occur in Nangarhar and Kunar. However, Qari Hekmatullah, a former Taliban and IMU commander who pledged allegiance to IS-K in 2016, is largely to blame for the violence in Jowzjan. Hekmatullah's organizations in Jowzjan worked with the Islamic State's development in the area through Walk 2018, yet following Hekmatullah's passing by U.S. airstrike in April 2018, the Taliban resurged.35 as of late, the Taliban professes to have accomplished "excellent loss" of IS-K in Jowzjan.


IS-K Activity and U.S./NATO Airstrikes from 2017 to 201837 The United States' Response American policy shows that the United States recognizes the threat posed by IS-K and the growing violence it has caused in Central Asia and responds accordingly. Since January 14, 2016, when the rules of engagement were expanded under President Obama and President Trump, United States Central Command has intensified its air campaign against IS-K.38 According to data compiled by ACLED, U.S. and NATO airstrikes against IS-K have been carried out more than 300 times since January 2017. While IS-K's goal of establishing an Islamic state in Central Asia remains improbable, its propensity for exploiting grievances, fostering instability, and taking advantage of ungoverned spaces will make peaceful reconciliation and nation-building in Afghanistan difficult for the foreseeable future. Airstrikes have been nearly exclusive to Nangarhar and Kunar provinces (96 percent of all airstrikes since January 2017) in an effort to target operational bases and leadership.


Clayton Sharb compiled this backgrounder on terrorism with the assistance of Danika Newlee and the CSIS iDeas Lab.


©2018 by the Middle for Key and Global Examinations. Reserved in all respects.


1Khorasan comes from the Persian language and signifies "where the sun shows up from" ; “ISIS Statement Urges Attacks, Announces Khorasan State,” by Markham Nolan and Gilad Shiloach, vocativ, January 26, 2015, https://www.vocativ.com/world/isis-2/isis-khorasan/; FDD's Long War Journal, January 27, 2015, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/01/islamic_state_appoin.php, staff of LWJ, "Islamic State appoints leaders of ‘Khorasan province,’ issues veiled threat to Afghan Taliban."

2 "Expanding the Caliphate:" by Seth G. Jones ISIS's Strategy for South Asia,” Foreign Affairs, June 11, 2015, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2015-06-11/expanding-caliphate; On October 12, 2018, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project updated its data.

3U.S. Department of the Treasury, "Treasury Sanctions Major Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Leaders, Financial Figures, Facilitators, and Supporters," September 29, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0188.aspx.

4LWJ staff, "Pakistani Taliban Splinter Gathering Again Vows Devotion to Islamic Express," FDD's Long Conflict Diary, January 13, 2015, https://www.longwarjournal.org/files/2015/01/video_pakistani_tali_2.php; " Al Arabiya News, October 5, 2014, “Pakistan Taliban Vow Support for ISIS Fighters,” https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/05/Pakistan-Taliban-pledges-support-to-ISIS-.html; Sajid Islamuddin, "Hafiz Saeed Khan: International Business Times, January 19, 2015, “The Former Taliban Warlord Taking ISIS to India and Pakistan,” https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hafiz-saeed-khan-former-taliban-warlord-taking-isis-india-pakistan-1484135; "Meet the 'Khorasan Shura':" Ankit Panda The Islamic State's Leaders for South Asia,” The Diplomat, January 29, 2015, accessed at https://thediplomat.com/2015/01/meet-the-khorasan-shura-the-islamic-states-leaders-for-south-asia/; 5Borhan Osman, "The Islamic State in "Khorasan":" Foreign Policy, February 9, 2015, https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/09/the-looming-spectre-of-daesh-in-afghanistan/. Franz J. Marty, "The Looming Specter of Daesh in Afghanistan" https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/the-islamic-state-in-khorasan-how-it-began-and-where-it-stands-now-in-nangarhar/; “How It Began and Where It Stands Now in Nangarhar,” Afghanistan Analysts Network, July 27, 2016. Dawn, May 31, 2018, https://www.dawn.com/news/1411156, Amir Wasim, "President Signs KP-Fata Merger Bill into Law."

6 "The Islamic State in "Khorasan":" Borhan Osman What It Was Like Before and Where It Is Now in Nangarhar."

7 "The Shadows of 'Islamic State' in Afghanistan:" Borhan Osman What Danger Does It Hold?" https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/the-shadows-of-islamic-state-in-afghanistan-what-threat-does-it-hold/, Afghanistan Analysts Network, February 12, 2015; 8Amira Jadoon, Nakissa Jahanbani, and Charmaine Willis, "Challenging the ISK Brand in Afghanistan-Pakistan:" CTC Sentinel, Volume 8, Issue 3, March 2015, https://ctc.usma.edu/situating-the-emergence-of-the-islamic-state-of-khorasan/ 9United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Ninth Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Submitted Pursuant to Resolution 2255 (2015) Concerning the Taliban and Other Associated Individuals and Entities Constituting a Threat to the Peace, Stability, and Security of Afghanistan (S/2018/466), May 30, 2018, https://undocs.org/S/2018/466. Rivalries and Divided Loyalties,” CTC Sentinel, Volume 11, Issue 4, April 2018, https://

10 SITE Intelligence Group, "IS Fighters in Salah al-Din Celebrate Pledge of Khorasan Province in Video, Behead Police Official," February 11, 2015, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/is-fighters-in-salah-al-din-celebrate-pledge-of-khorasan-province-in-video-behead-police-official.html SITE Intelligence Group, "IS Fighters in Diyala Congratulate "Khorasan Province" for Pledging," 20 February 2015, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/is-fighters-in-diyala-congratulate-khorasan-province-for-pledging.html

11Seth G. Jones, "The Islamic State and the Taliban Rivalry in Afghanistan," Brookings' Lawfare Blog, November 27, 2016, https://www.lawfareblog.com/islamic-state-taliban-rivalry-afghanistan

12The Twenty-Second Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Submitted Pursuant to Resolution 2368 (2017) Concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and Associated Individuals and Entities (S/2018/705), 6-17, July 27, 2018, https://undocs.org/S/2018/705.

13"English-Speaking IS Contender in Khorasan Area Video Notes Presence of Indians and Russians in its Positions," SITE Knowledge Gathering, September 6, 2017, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Media/english-talking is-warrior in-khorasan-territory video-notes-presence-of-indians-and-russians-in-its-ranks.html; The United Nations Security Council, "Twenty-Second Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team" "Ninth Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team," United Nations Security Council

14 SITE Intelligence Group, "IS' Khorasan Province Publishes Photos of Graduation from "Abu Umar al-Shishani" Training Camp," December 26, 2017, at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-publishes-photos-of-graduation-from-abu-umar-al-shishani-training-camp.html.

15 "Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Gordon Trowbridge on Strike Targeting an ISIL Leader in Afghanistan," U.S. Department of Defense, August 12, 2016, https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/913820/statement-by-deputy-press-secretary-gordon-trowbridge-on-strike-targeting-an-is/; "S The leader of Islamic State is killed by US forces in Afghanistan; Maintain Pressure on Terror Network,” NATO Resolute Support, September 2, 2018, https://rs.nato.int/news-center/press-releases/2018-press-releases/us-forces-in-afghanistan-strike-islamic-state-leader-maintain-pressure.aspx.

17 SITE Intelligence Group, "IS' Khorasan Province Fighter Rallies Colleagues, Promotes Support of "Caliphate" in Video," 3 June 2015, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/fighter-in-is-khorasan-province-rallies-colleagues-promotes-support-of-caliphate-in-video.html

18SITE Knowledge Gathering, "IS' Khorasan Territory Warrior Rallies Partners, Advances Backing of "Caliphate" in Video."

19 SITE Intelligence Group, "IS' Khorasan Province Claims Killing 100+ in Suicide Operation on Save the Children Office, Other Institutions in Jalalabad," January 24, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-claims-killing-100-in-suicide-operation-on-save-the-children-office, Other Institutions in Jalalabad.html

20See, for instance, SITE Intelligence Group's March 6, 2018, article titled "IS Video Promotes Afghanistan as Option for Immigration, Features Foreign Children and Adults" at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/is-video-promotes-afghanistan-as-option-for-immigration-features-foreign-children-and-adults.html.

21See, for instance, Fayaz Bukhari, "Encounters in Indian Kashmir Leave Cop, Seven Assailants Dead," Reuters, September 11, 2016, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-idUSKCN11H0PU; Modeled after Mumbai?, Bruce Riedel "Why the 2008 India Attack Is the Best Way to Understand Paris," Brookings' Markaz Blog, November 14, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/11/14/modeled-on-mumbai-why-the-2008-india-attack-is-the-best-way-to-understand-paris/ It's obvious, for instance, "IS Cases Killing Indian Knowledge Official in Kashmir," , SITE Knowledge Gathering, September 10, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Explanations/is-claims-killing-indian-knowledge official-in-kashmir.html; " SITE Intelligence Group, “IS' Khorasan Province Claims 1 Indian Soldier Killed, 8 Wounded in Clash in Kashmir,” June 22, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-claims-1-indian-soldier-killed-8-wounded-in-clash-in-kashmir.html

22See, for instance, SITE Intelligence Group, "IS Claims Killing Indian Intelligence Official in Kashmir," September 10, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-claims-killing-indian-intelligence-official-in-kashmir.html; and "IS Claims Killing Indian Intelligence Official in Kashmir." SITE Intelligence Group, “IS' Khorasan Province Claims 1 Indian Soldier Killed, 8 Wounded in Clash in Kashmir,” June 22, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-claims-1-indian-soldier-killed-8-wounded-in-clash-in-kashmir.html

23 SITE Intelligence Group, "IS' Khorasan Province Cautions Muslims in Nangarhar from Approaching Election Centers," April 30, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-cautions-muslims-in-nangarhar-from-approaching-election-centers.html

24"IS' Khorasan Area Issues Formal Dispatch for Final voting day Assaults in Kabul and Nangarhar," SITE Knowledge Gathering, October 23, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Proclamations/is-khorasan-territory issues-formal-report for-final voting day assaults in-kabul-and-nangarhar.html ; " SITE Intelligence Group, "IS' Khorasan Province Claims Inflicting 90 Casualties at Suicide Bombing at Election Rally in Nangarhar," October 2, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-khorasan-province-claims-inflicting-90-casualties-at-suicide-bombing-at-election-rally-in-nangarhar.html, accessed on October 2, 2018.

25Information from the 2018 report The Evolving Terror Threat (coming soon) by the CSIS Transnational Threats Project.

26 United Nations Security Council, "Twenty-Second Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team."

27"IS' Khorasan Area Shows "Delight" of Youngsters for Orlando, Magnanville Assaults," SITE Knowledge Gathering, June 15, 2016, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/is-khorasan-region shows-delight of-kids for-orlando-magnanville-attacks.html ; " The SITE Intelligence Group published “Fighters in IS' Khorasan Province Call for Lone-Wolf Attacks in West, Challenge U.S. to Put Boots on Ground” on June 19, 2016, at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/fighters-in-is-khorasan-province-call-for-lone-wolf-attacks-in-west-in-video.html.

28 The data are from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which was last updated on October 12, 2018, and can be found at https://www.acleddata.com/data/. 29 The United Nations Security Council, "Twenty-Second Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team."

30 The information comes from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which was last updated on October 12, 2018, and can be found at https://www.acleddata.com/data/. 31 See, for instance, SITE Intelligence Group, May 13, 2015, at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/is-khorasan-province-claims-attack-on-bus-transporting-ismailis-in-karachi.html; SITE Intelligence Group published an article titled "Anti-IS Jihadists Claim Group Killed Afghan Taliban’s Leader for Nangarhar" on June 13, 2015, which can be found at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/anti-is-jihadists-claim-group-killed-afghan-taliban-s-leader-for-nangarhar.html. Charmaine Willis, Amira Jadoon, and Nakissa Jahanbani, "Challenging the ISK Brand in Afghanistan-Pakistan: Competitions and Partitioned Loyalties."

32See, for instance, "Taliban Surge Routs ISIS in Northern Afghanistan," by Najim Hahim and Rod Nordland in the New York Times on August 1, 2018, at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-isis.html.

33 Data updated on October 12, 2018, from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, https://www.acleddata.com/data/. 34 Ibid.

35Obaid Ali, "Qari Hekmat's Island: An Enclave of Daesh in Jawzjan? Afghanistan Examiners Organization, November 11, 2017, https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/qari-hekmats-island-a-daesh-territory in-jawzjan/; "Non-Pashtun Taleban of the North," by Obaid Ali, p. A case study from Jawzjan,” Afghanistan Analysts Network, September 18, 2017, at https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/non-pashtun-taleban-of-the-north-4-a-case-study-from-jawzjan/ “IS Video Promotes Afghanistan as Option for Immigration, Features Foreign Children and Adults,” SITE Intelligence Group; NATO Resolute Support, April 15, 2018, https://rs.nato.int/news-center/press-releases/2018-press-releases/afghan-and-us-special-operations-decimate-isk-in-northern-afghanistan.aspx. “Afghan and U.S. Special Operations Decimate IS-K in Northern Afghanistan.”

36 SITE Intelligence Group, "Afghan Taliban Again Boasts of Rendering IS an "Exemplary Defeat" in Northern Afghanistan, Charges U.S. with Backing IS," August 28, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/afghan-taliban-again-boasts-of-rendering-is-an-exemplary-defeat-in-northern-afghanist SITE Intelligence Group published “Afghan Taliban Documents in Video its Purging IS Fighters from Jowzjan's Darzab District” on August 20, 2018 at https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/afghan-taliban-documents-in-video-its-purging-is-fighters-from-jowzjan-s-darzab-district.html.

37Data from the Furnished Struggle Area and Occasion Information Task, refreshed October 12, 2018, https://www.acleddata.com/information/.

38"Foreign Psychological oppressor Association Assignment of ISIL - Khorasan (ISIL-K)," U.S. Branch of State. https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/266511.htm, January 14, 2016; Air Power Summary as of August 31, 2018,” Combined Air Operations of the United States Air Force.