Jihadists behind the Moscow massacre have the UK and the rest of Europe in their sights.
Islamic State in the Khorasan – or ISK – has a multi-million pound war chest, up to 6,000 fighters, and unlimited access to weapons. It has slaughtered hundreds across Asia since 2021 and at least 143 at a Russian rock concert 10 days ago. Now experts warn they are plotting atrocities across the western world.
Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, said: “ISK is without doubt one of the most serious terror threats throughout the world today. hey have been allowed to grow in size and reputation in the safe haven of Afghanistan, which we allowed to happen when our troops were withdrawn from there.
"It means, just as al-Qaeda did before the 9/11 attacks, that they have the space to plan operations abroad. And Britain is certainly in the crosshairs of ISK because of our involvement in the war on terror and being allies of the US.” The branch of Islamic State was founded in 2015 by former Taliban members who felt their organisation was not extreme enough.
Experts warn ISK is plotting atrocities across the western worldRuthless
The name refers to an ancient area called Khorasan which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Its leader is a mysterious militant known for his cunning, planning and ruthless execution of attacks. At just 29, Sanaullah Ghafari has overseen the growth of the most fearsome of Isis branches capable of launching attacks from Afghanistan.
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He was said to have been killed last year but fled, injured, into Pakistan’s lawless Balochistan border province. Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Mujahir, graduated with a degree in engineering from Kabul University and was made ISK’s “emir” in 2020. Under his leadership, ISK has waged war on the Taliban, which it accuses of abandoning jihad for negotiated peace with the US.
It is believed to have killed or injured close to 1,000 Afghans, including bombings in Kabul in 2022 that killed 120. The year before, as America and Britain withdrew from Afghanistan, an ISK suicide bomber killed 170 locals and 13 US troops at the airport. The UN has warned: “ISK is becoming more sophisticated in its attacks against both the Taliban and international targets.”
With each attack they grow in stature in the eyes of fanatics, attracting more funding and being able to recruit more footsoldiers, including defectors from the Taliban. Islamic State, which follows an extreme version of Sunni Islam, also targets Muslim Iran because they see most of its population as heretics for following the rival Shia sect.
In January, two ISK suicide bombers killed close to 100 people and injured nearly 300 at a memorial for Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani (Twitter)In January, two ISK suicide bombers killed close to 100 people and injured nearly 300 at a memorial for Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani – who was assassinated by a US drone four years earlier.
ISK funds its operations through heroin deals, smuggling, extortion, theft, kidnappings and general racketeering. Intelligence experts say both the Moscow and Iran attacks illustrate the group’s ability to carry out long-range missions. Former FBI chief Ali Soufan said: “The Central Asian jihadi networks in Afghanistan pose a global security threat.”
He said analysts had been warning of the dangers “since the 2021 chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan”. France and Italy were quick to increase their terror alert status shortly after the Moscow attack, following intelligence from their spies. International security expert Bruce Jones said: “ISK are growing in stature and numbers. The more violent and bloody their attacks, the more attention they acquire and that means bigger funding from their backers and gaining more recruits.”
Mr Jones argues that enmity between Nato and Russia over Ukraine has further put the West at risk from terrorists. Previously it was common for Russia and countries such as the UK to share intelligence as they had a common enemy in militant groups. It is believed a small British special forces team travelled to Russia in 2004 to offer advice during the Beslan school siege, when Chechen terrorists took over 1,000 hostages and 330 people died. That kind of co-operation is a thing of the past.
At just 29, Sanaullah Ghafari has overseen the growth of the most fearsome of Isis branchesISK’s latest attack on Moscow’s Crocus music venue – carried out by four gunmen almost certainly hired by ISK for £10,000 each – was Russia’s worst terrorist atrocity since Beslan and is the deadliest by Islamic State on European soil. Days earlier, Moscow rejected advice from Britain, the US and other countries that Islamic militants were about to target a mass gathering, possibly even a concert.
President Vladimir Putin dismissed the warnings as “outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilise our society.” Mr Jones added: “Russia has become isolated from the West and information sharing is minimal now. It leads to increased secrecy for the terrorist groups and means they are more able to plot successful attacks.” Funding comes from heroin deals, smuggling, extortion, theft, kidnappings, general racketeering. The wider Islamic state movement is estimated to have hijacked much of the Afghan drug trade.
Last night US security analysts at the respected Soudan Centre, run by ex-FBI man Ali Soufan said: "The Moscow attack illustrates Islamic State Khorasan Province’s (IS-K) capability and determination to conduct external operations but also demonstrates threats posed by jihadi networks in Central Asia — something that analysts and experts have been warning of as a growing threat since the 2021 chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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"The Central Asian jihadi networks in Afghanistan pose a regional and global security threat; IS-K has, in the last year, attempted to carry out several attacks in Europe, and in 2024, targeted Iran, Türkiye, and Russia with deadly terrorist attacks."
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