The United States has information that corroborates the Islamic State’s (IS) self-proclaimed claim of responsibility for a at a concert near Moscow on Friday, a US official has told Reuters.
Although Friday’s attack in Russia escalated dramatically, experts say the group has opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years.
Here is some information about the Afghan IS branch called ISIS-K and its motivations for attacking Russia.
What is IS-K?
The attack was claimed by an Afghan branch of IS known as ISIS-K or IS-K.
Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) – named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan – emerged in eastern Afghanistan a decade ago.
Months after IS declared a caliphate in Iraq and Syria in 2014, separatist fighters from the Pakistani Taliban joined forces with militants in Afghanistan to form a regional chapter, pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The group was formally recognized by IS’s central leadership the next year as it sank roots in northeastern Afghanistan, particularly the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar and Nuristan.
He quickly established a reputation for extreme cruelty.
Despite being one of IS’s most active regional affiliates, the group has seen a decline in its membership since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and US forces inflicted heavy losses.
The United States has said that its ability to develop intelligence against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as IS-K has been reduced since the withdrawal of US troops from the country in 2021.
What attacks has the group carried out in the past?
IS-K has a history of attacks, including against mosques, both inside and outside Afghanistan. He has particularly targeted Muslims from sects he considers heretical, including Shiites.
Earlier this year, the United States intercepted communications confirming the group held .
In September 2022, IS-K militants claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul.
The group was responsible for an attack on Kabul international airport in 2021 that killed 13 US soldiers and scores of civilians during the chaotic evacuation of the US from the country.
Earlier this month, the top US general in the Middle East said IS-K could attack US and Western interests outside Afghanistan “in as little as six months and with little warning”.
Why would IS-K attack Russia?
“IS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, often criticizing Putin in its propaganda,” said Colin Clarke of the Soufan Center, a Washington research group.
Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington said that IS-K “sees Russia as part of activities that regularly oppress Muslims”.
Putin’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was instrumental in turning the tide of the war in Syria against IS and claiming large parts of the country that the militant group held back by 2013.
IS-K also counts as members a number of Central Asian militants with their own grievances against Moscow, Kugelman added.
