ISIS Attack in Afghanistan

Why in News?

ISKP terrorist killed Sikh worshippers in a gurdwara in Kabul, Afghanistan.

What happened?

Identifying the attacker as Abu Khalid Al-Hindi (Mushin) from Kerala, ISIS claimed the attack as “revenge for Muslims of Kashmir”.
Later, Afghan security forces arrested the leader of ISKP and others.
ISKP is the Islamic State Khurasan Province, which is the ISIS branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan.
The claim of using a single foreign fighter, the modus operandi, and weak propaganda for the gurdwara attack is not a signature of ISIS.
However, owning up to the ISKP attacks could suggest a possible shift in post-Caliphate strategy.

What are the recent threats in the region?

In April 2019, after the fall of the Caliphate (March 23, 2019), ISIS mounted spectacular attacks on targets in Sri Lanka.
In March 2020, in Kabul, ISIS claimed mortar attacks on President Ashraf Ghani’s inauguration and on US troops in Bagram base twice.
On May 4, 2020, ISKP posted a picture and a video of an Afghan officer in their custody, and pictures of his “beheading”.
The chain of events does necessitate closer scrutiny of the ISKP threat in the region.

What is happening between ISIS and Taliban?

In recent years, especially after the US-Taliban agreement, the Taliban have repeatedly claimed to have finished ISKP in Afghanistan.
In its weekly, criticising the agreement, ISIS has exhorted supporters to target “enemies” as their resources are tied up with Covid-19.
Lately, a few lone wolf attacks have been reported across Europe.

What is Wilayat Khurasan?

The Wilayat Khurasan comprises of parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.
It is a concept born in January 2015, when ISIS designated Hafiz Saeed, a former Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander as “Wali”.
In October 2014, Hafiz Saeed and TTP spokesperson Sheikh Maqbool suddenly pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Around this time, the ISIS ideology was gaining traction in Pakistan.

How did the group recruit?

The group went online for propaganda and recruitment of fighters especially from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Central Asia.
However, this recruitment was very small, except from Pakistan.
Accounts from the West described the group as ISKP.
Online recruiters from Kashmir were, Aijaz Ahangar and his son-in-law, reportedly killed in Nangarhar (Afghanistan).
In no time, local fighters of ISKP displaced the Taliban from Nangarhar.
Across the border, the Pakistan Army had a formidable presence to control cross-border movement for its own security.
It has taken close to 5 years for ISKP to be dislodged from a small area.

What is the geographical expanse of ISKP?

The geographical spread of ISKP, its selective and big attacks and its “near peaceful coexistence” with Taliban cannot be misread.
The group has never gained much traction in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Except claiming a few big attacks in Kabul and Quetta, ISKP has not shown any keenness to expand its areas of influence.
Post-Caliphate, no mass movement of regional foreign fighters back to the fold of ISKP has been reported.

Are there Indians in ISKP?

The Caliphate was gaining traction among foreign fighters globally.
Subsequently, a group of Indians from Kerala, including women and children, had migrated to Afghanistan around 2016-17.
Around 60-plus Indians were believed to be living in the territory controlled by ISKP in Nangarhar.
In 2019, over 1,400 people with ISKP, including fighters and their families, surrendered before Afghan forces in Nangarhar.
These included fighters from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
Some Indian women and children were in this group.
With the surfacing of Mushin, it appears that a few more Indians may have joined ISKP.

What are the online entities?

In recent times, online entities called the Islamic State Hind Province (ISHP) or Islamic State-Kashmir (IS-K) have surfaced.
Their focus is on propaganda and recruitment of Indians, or of fighters from the region, for attacks on Indian interests.
The activities of ISHP and IS-K are closely linked to ISKP.
In March 2020, Delhi Police Special Cell arrested a Kashmiri couple being linked to ISHP/IS-K.
This may have been an attempt to test the waters with Indians, driven by personal grievances, radicalised in the name of ISIS.

How ISIS is trying to get momentum?

Although the source of ISKP/ISHP/IS-K is known, this does not reduce the threats posed by them.
Since ISIS is currently claiming all verifiable attacks, these entities have a ready-to-use platform for propaganda for recruitment.
Moreover, through the Covid-19 phase, ISIS is becoming quite active in cyberspace.
ISIS would own up to many attacks by the likes of the ISKP network.
ISIS may not miss the opportunity to rope in and guide such networks to attack targets in the region.
Apart from stemming radicalisation, it is critical to closely watch threats emerging in the region, especially for India and the West.

Source: The Indian Express