Security

ISIS-K committed 62 deadly attacks in Afghanistan over 3 years

By Omar

A two-year-old boy gazes at a photograph of his father in Herat city on January 30. His father was killed in an ISIS attack in April 2022. [Emran/Salaam Times]

A two-year-old boy gazes at a photograph of his father in Herat city on January 30. His father was killed in an ISIS attack in April 2022. [Emran/Salaam Times]

HERAT -- The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria"'s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) has carried out 62 deadly attacks across Afghanistan over the past three years, according to an Afghanistan Security Watch report.

The attacks have resulted in 857 deaths and 1,575 injuries, the August 16 report said. Most of the victims were civilians, with Shia Muslims specifically targeted by the terrorist group.

ISIS-K's activities were concentrated in key provinces, with 32 attacks in Kabul, 7 in Herat, 6 in Balkh, 4 in Nangarhar and 4 in Badakhshan over the past three years.

The year 2022 was the most violent with 29 attacks.

Despite repeated denials by Kabul authorities of the presence and activities of ISIS-K in Afghanistan, the report underscores the persistent and grave menace.

Increasing threats

ISIS-K's threat in Afghanistan is escalating, imperiling the security of both the country and the region, Mohammad Naim Ghayur, a military analyst based in Italy, warned.

Previously, "ISIS-K was primarily active in the eastern part of the country and was heavily suppressed. However, three years later ... ISIS-K has become much stronger," he said.

"The release of hundreds of ISIS-K members from prisons [in 2021] is a key factor in the resurgence of this terrorist group," he said. "These terrorists, who were captured at the cost of Afghan soldiers' lives, are now free and continue to kill innocent people."

Afghanistan now lacks the capacity to rein in ISIS-K, Ghayur said, adding that if the group is not curbed, security will continue to deteriorate.

A recent United Nations report said ISIS-K has grown greatly, emerging as a danger not only to Afghanistan but also to the broader region and the world.

Public concerns

Amid global disquiet over ISIS-K's resurgence in Afghanistan, many Afghans fear for themselves and their families.

A June online survey by Salaam Times revealed that the majority of Afghans are concerned about ISIS-K attacks in the country, with 65% of respondents expressing fear of ISIS-K attacks.

Faisal Wahedi, 32, a resident of Herat, said that recent ISIS-K attacks in Herat and Kabul indicate the group's escalating activities.

"I am deeply worried about ISIS attacks on civilians," he said. "The main target of ISIS is innocents, and the stronger this group becomes, the more innocent lives will be lost."

"I am constantly anxious that an explosion might occur at any moment, and that I or my family members might become victims," Wahedi said.

"Every ISIS attack in Kabul or other provinces amplifies my dread. We have witnessed a few deadly ISIS attacks in Herat lately, and I fear that such attacks will happen again."

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