What is ISIS-K? Terror Group who claimed responsibility for Kabul Bombings, How is it connected with Taliban?

Kabul Airport Blast: Two bombing attacks outside Kabul’s airport on August 26, 2021, killed at least 13 US service members and 60 Afghans while left 18 US service members and more than 140 Afghans wounded, reported the Pentagon and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health. Two suicide bombers and a gunman attacked one of the main entrances at the Hamid Karzai International Airport of Kabul and another bomber went off nearby at a hotel outside the airport followed by gunmen firing rounds. The blasts happened just a few hours after the US Intelligence Services and the US Embassy had issued a warning of an imminent threat at Kabul’s airport from ISIS-K.

Earlier in the week, US President Joe Biden said, "Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians."

The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, known as Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K has claimed the responsibility for the attacks and stated in its claims that the attacks targeted US troops and their Afghan allies. The battle between the US and the Taliban along with its militant partners in Afghanistan has been ongoing for the past 20 years. However, Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K is the lesser-known rival but the biggest immediate threat to the Americans and their Afghans allies amid the fast-tracked evacuation by the US troops at the Kabul airport before August 31.

Who is ISIS-K?

The Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K was formed in 2014 whose founding members were militants who left the Pakistani Taliban and the Afghan Taliban. The group operates as an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan. Khorasan refers to a historical term for a region that is present-day Afghanistan and parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. The group is also referred to as IS-K.

In 2015, the group’s leader and other top commanders pledged their allegiance to the then Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and declared themselves as the leaders of a new ISIS territory in Afghanistan.

The group has been known for its violent tactics, strict interpretation of Islamic Law, deadliest terror attacks in recent years, massacring civilians at mosques, hospitals, shrines, etc. In 2020, the ISIS-K carried out a gruesome attack at maternity ward run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

In 2016, ISIS-K lost its leaders during US raids and airstrikes. Since June 2020, new commander Shahab al-Muhajir has been leading the group, a UN report stated.

What is the relationship of ISIS-K and Taliban?

Both groups are hardline Sunni Islamist militants and have claimed to be hardcore supporters and flag-bearers of jihad, however, they two are actually enemies with massive differences relating to religion and strategy. The ISIS-K group even denounced the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The Taliban was congratulated by several jihadist groups but ISIS-K did not.

The ISIS-K has also been critical of the deal that the Taliban and the US struck in Doha in 2020. After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the ISIS-K accused the Taliban of abandoning the cause of the jihadist, as per the SITE Intelligence Group.

What threat does ISIS-K pose?

As per the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, the ISIS-K could have between 500 to 10,000 fighters. The affiliate remains active and dangerous, the report said.

The UN Counterterrorism in its report in June 2020 reported that the ISIS-K has carried up to 77 attacks in Afghanistan in the first four months of 2021 compared to 21 attacks in the first four months of 2020. The attacks included a school bombing, a strike against Kabul University, and an attack on Kabul’s airport in July.

Experts also speculate the ISIS-K is linked to the Haqqani network. Several ISIS commanders and fighters also have strong links to Al-Qaeda. Amid the withdrawal of US troops by August 31, the analysts strongly speculate the rivalry between the Taliban and the ISIS-K will escalate. The ISIS-K being a relatively weakened organization as of now will try to infuse chaos and more deadly attacks. With no US troops, spies, armed drones, analysts fear that manifesting the vision of US President Joe Biden of preventing Afghanistan from becoming a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups would be difficult.