The West must wake up to the threat of Islamic State-Khorasan

It is time to wake up to the growing international threat posed by Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the group believed to be behind Friday’s terror attack on a Moscow concert hall that left more than 130 people dead. For far too long this Afghanistan-based offshoot of Islamic State, formed in 2015, has been underestimated. Ignoring it is no longer a safe or wise policy option.

IS-K has been growing in strength in Taliban-led Afghanistan ever since the Americans pulled out of the country in 2021. It has been successful in attracting a growing number of jihadis to its cause through a series of deadly attacks. Some reports suggest its fighters now number more than 2,500 – a considerable increase for a group that started off with no more than a few hundred recruits. What are its aims? It wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in central and south Asia.