Afghanistan’s religious minorities fear surge in ISIS-K attacks

KABUL -- The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for at least 17 attacks targeting Afghan Shia over the past three years.

More than 700 have been killed or wounded in these attacks since August 2021, per Human Rights Watch (HRW), with at least 14 Hazaras killed and six injured in a September 12 attack.

"Since emerging in Afghanistan in 2015, [ISIS-K] has killed and injured thousands of Hazaras and members of other religious minorities in attacks targeting mosques, schools and workplaces," HRW Afghanistan researcher Fereshta Abbasi wrote September 13.

ISIS-K is attempting to magnify divisions among Muslims, Belgium-based Afghan political analyst Ali Akbar Fatahi told Salaam Times.

He described ISIS-K as "a uniquely exclusive group that accepts no one outside its own ideology," accusing it of "intellectual backwardness."

By targeting the Hazara minority, without facing serious consequences, ISIS-K "can gain more political leverage and increase their global visibility," he said.

"Unfortunately, the Afghan government lacks sufficient capacity to control this situation," said Austria-based Afghan researcher Nabiullah Fatemi.

"It is essential ... to implement serious measures to protect the lives of civilians targeted by ISIS," he said.

ISIS-K expanding activities

ISIS-K bombings and other targeted attacks on the Hazara community constitute crimes against humanity, HRW said in October 2021.

Afghan civilians told Salaam Times they are increasingly worried about the group's deadly attacks.

"The recent attacks by ISIS-K show this group has become very active and is extending its operations to various regions of the country," said Kabul resident Sayed Mahdi Hosseini, 45.

"Dozens of terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, and ISIS's relationships with them are improving," he told Salaam Times.

"With the unification of these groups, not only will Afghanistan's security be threatened, but global security also will face increasing dangers," he said.

Combating ISIS-K in Afghanistan requires a strong military force to target its strongholds, Hosseini said. "Halting this group's bloody attacks will be very difficult unless its safe havens in certain provinces are destroyed."

ISIS-K has gained power over the past three years, leaving Afghan ethnic and religious minorities feeling insecure, said Kabul resident Abdul Wakil Rezayee, 53.

"When pushed to the limit, people will resort to fighting," he warned. "When there is no government or military to defend the public, it is forced to take up arms and engage in legitimate self-defense."