ISIS-K expands 'media jihad' with evolving online presence

The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) has notably increased its online presence and digital outreach efforts, analysts say.

ISIS-K is widely regarded as the global terror group's most active subsidiary. As it increases its online presence, global security threats also rise, according to a July 24 Militant Wire report.

The group's "westward push from South Asia has seen rapid operational network expansion into Europe, with a markedly increasing number of thwarted attack plots linked to the Afghanistan-based group in recent months," the report said.

It pointed to recent ISIS-K attacks in Russia, Iran and Türkiye that killed hundreds of civilians.

ISIS-K has surpassed other branches of the group in its digital outreach, publishing content in more than a dozen languages. Its efforts include a new Turkish-language media outlet and a Tajik-language magazine.

The Afghanistan-based group employs a "media jihad" strategy, encouraging followers to independently create and amplify propaganda on social media and messaging apps, per Militant Wire.

"ISIS-K and other extremist terrorist groups target specific segments of society with their propaganda," said computer scientist Ferdous Khatibi, who teaches at a private university in Herat.

"These messages often trap young people who are either less educated or unaware of their religious principles," he told Salaam Times, adding that "in Tajikistan, ISIS-K's propaganda has ... ensnared many young people."

Global threat

ISIS-K is using the internet to recruit members from "beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan, posing significant threats to neighboring and regional countries," said Nimroz-based military analyst Hamza Baloch.

"ISIS-K aims to prove itself stronger than other branches of the terrorist organization. This is why it has turned to recruiting in Western countries," he told Salaam Times.

"Social media have provided ISIS-K with the opportunity to influence some young people, encouraging them to carry out terrorist attacks," he said. "The recent terrorist attacks in Iran and Russia by ISIS-K underscore this danger."

In March, US Central Command's Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla cautioned that "ISIS-K retains the capability and will to attack US and Western interests abroad in as little as six months and with little to no warning."

In July, the United Nations Monitoring and Analytical Support Team warned that ISIS-K poses a significant threat to Afghanistan, the region and beyond.

Meanwhile, the US State Department in July observed that ISIS-K funds its operations primarily from natural resource extraction in Afghanistan, particularly the illegal mining of talc in Nangarhar. This is then smuggled out of the country.