Although Russian authorities have not yet officially confirmed this, many indications are that the attack at the Crocus City Hall in a Moscow suburb was carried out by fighters from Islamic State Khorasan, the Afghan branch of IS known for its brutality. Washington also assumes that IS-K was behind the attack.
Not only did the group claim responsibility for the attack shortly after the attack via a message on Telegram, more than a day later it also distributed video images from the theater showing how the perpetrators were doing their murderous work. One victim's throat was slit. Among other CNN reported that the geodata indicated that the images did indeed come from Crocus City Hall. Russian authorities subsequently arrested several Tajik suspects. Quite a few members of IS-K are known to come from Central Asian states.
Moreover, it is not the first time that IS-K has made itself heard in Russia. On March 7, the Russian intelligence service FSB reported that she had killed some IS-K fighters in Kaluga, a region southwest of Moscow. They are said to have plotted an attack on a synagogue in Moscow. In 2022, the group also attacked the Russian embassy in Kabul, killing six people.
Deep hatred for Putin
The organization has long been filled with deep hatred towards the regime of President Putin, who in their view has had Muslim blood on his hands since his merciless war against Islamic rebels in Chechnya more than two decades ago. Their anti-Russian feelings were further increased by Russia's actions in Syria, where Putin kept President Assad in the saddle together with Iran in his fight against radical Islamic fighters.
Islamic State Khorasan, founded in 2015 by Afghans who fell into conflict with the Taliban, is named after a historic area covering large parts of Central Asia. Its leaders would like to establish a caliphate modeled on the short-lived IS caliphate (2014-2019) in Syria and Iraq. Their followers are even more extreme than those of al-Qaeda, which is already considered extremist in Western eyes.
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After the loss of its last bastion in Syria, IS seemed to have been reduced to an insignificant group and the number of attacks in the region and beyond decreased, but IS-K is now making frantic efforts to keep the radical fire going. The attack in Moscow fits in with that aim and provides prestige among radical Muslims and can attract new followers.
“Part of how such groups compete is by showing that they are active and participating in the struggle,” said Daniel Byman, a professor at Georgetown University to NPR radio. “The groups compete with each other and the result is more violence.”
Taliban too lax with Sharia law
IS-K status an even stricter Islam before the Taliban. In their view, they are still too lax in the application of Sharia, Islamic law. In IS-K propaganda, the Taliban are therefore depicted as traitors. IS-K has therefore repeatedly tried to hit the Taliban regime, which has ruled Afghanistan since 2021, mainly through terrorist attacks. Shia Muslims in particular, considered apostates by IS-K, often suffer.
IS-K has so far been mainly active in Afghanistan. Just last week they committed an attack in Kandahar, a traditional Taliban stronghold where the supreme leader of the Taliban is also based. But they also sometimes strike in Pakistan. In turn, the Taliban also regularly crack down on IS-K fighters. IS-K membership is often suspected killed without trial.
The previous Afghan government, backed by the US, also cracked down on IS-K because it considered the group a serious threat to national security. IS-K suffered a severe blow as a result, and experts estimate that by the time the Taliban took power, only about 1,500 to 2,000 IS-K fighters remained. It was also IS-K that carried out a bloody attack on Kabul airport amid the chaos following Kabul's takeover. A dozen American soldiers were killed. However, experts now estimate their size at around 2,500 fighters.
In recent months, IS-K, which is financed by wealthy Muslims from the Gulf region in particular, who sympathize with extremist ideas, appears to be expanding its range abroad. In January this year, she carried out a major attack in Kerman, Iran, on a memorial ceremony for General Qasem Soleimani, who was liquidated by the US. European intelligence services also reported having thwarted IS attacks. It seems that their Russian colleagues were less successful in this on Friday.
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