HERAT -- Terrorist attacks by the Khorasan branch of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan are continuing to inflict pain on the families of past victims.
The family of 25-year-old Ali Reza, who was killed in an explosion in April 2022 in a Shia neighborhood in Herat city, remains in mourning and fear.
Fatima, Reza's 31-year-old sister, cannot send her children to school for fear of more terrorism.
She wrestles with nightmares, dreading that ISIS will kill her family members.
![Members of a Hazara family in Herat city on January 30 hold a picture of their sibling, Ali Reza, 25, who was killed by ISIS there in April 2022. [Emran/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2024/05/29/46677-h__1-739_416.webp)
Members of a Hazara family in Herat city on January 30 hold a picture of their sibling, Ali Reza, 25, who was killed by ISIS there in April 2022. [Emran/Salaam Times]
"When my brothers and children leave the house, I am not sure whether they will return home alive," she said. "ISIS is ruthless -- it can bomb and commit suicide attacks any moment."
"I have been depressed since the death of my brother ... and cannot sleep without taking sleeping pills," she said. "I can't watch the news on TV ... because every time I see the news of an explosion, the memories of my brother's death come back."
Atifa, 27, Reza's other sister, has been grappling with mental health too since her brother's passing.
"We were living in Kabul before moving to Herat with our family because of ISIS attacks. But [the terrorist group] did not leave us alone here and killed our young brother," she said.
"ISIS kills innocent people and commits every kind of crime in the name of Islam."
Growing ISIS violence
ISIS attacks against civilians in Afghanistan have continued into 2024.
The terrorist group on May 19 claimed responsibility for an attack in Bamiyan province that killed three Spanish tourists and three Afghans.
The group said on Telegram that "fighters shot at Christian tourists and their Shia companions with machine guns."
ISIS-K, which operates from safe havens within Afghanistan, is a significant global threat, according to Afghan military observers.
"Unfortunately, ISIS-K has recently grown stronger in Afghanistan and Pakistan ... besides threatening the security of these two neighboring countries, [it] has become a major threat to the region and the world," said Hamza Baloch, a military analyst based in Nimroz province.
ISIS-K "is trying to add to its numbers and military strength," he said.
"There is a need for a serious fight against ISIS in Afghanistan. The terrorist group has exploited the ... chaos in Afghanistan, expanding its presence to many provinces," he said.
