ISIS Khorasan: Presence, Affiliations and Regional Alliances with Russia
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WALIA journal 35(1): 70-76, 2019 Available online at www.Waliaj.com ISSN 1026-3861 © 2019 WALIA ISIS Khorasan: Presence, affiliations and regional alliances with Russia Muhammad Amin *, Muhammad Asif University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan Abstract: The eco-political instability of the Middle East gave birth to ISIS. It made the Middle Eastern region destabilized. ISIS has a large number of fighters from other regions of the world. Some of them belong to Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Russia and Central Asia. The growth and revenue of ISIS influenced the Taliban and Al-Qaeda splinters to announce an affiliation with ISIS. It announced ISIS Wilayat Khorasan with the help of these splinters. The affiliates of ISIS Khorasan are attacking and killing many people of Pakistan and Afghanistan are being attacked by ISIS Khorasan. It also wants to spread its growth and launch attacks in other countries of this region. Russia, China and Pakistan want to form an alliance against ISIS. Therefore, they are organizing regular meetings on the issue. The entry of ISIS Khorasan in the region demands from the regional countries a comprehensive strategy to counter ISIS Khorasan. The analytical method has been used for this study and most of the data have been taken from secondary sources. It is argued that the threat of ISIS Khorasan is compelling the regional powers to have an alliance with Russia against ISIS. Key words: Region; Affiliates; Wilayat Khorasan; Alliance; Attack 1. Introduction 2. Islamic state of Iraq and Syria *Asia is the home of 106 billion Muslims which Abu Musab al-Zarqawi founded a militant group covers, 62% of the world population. In the 1980s, Jamaat al Tawhid wal Jihad against the Jordanian many Jihadist groups formed in Afghanistan to fight government in 1999. USA attacked Iraq in 2003, al against the Soviet Union. These Jihadist groups were Zarqawi pledged loyalty to Al-Qaeda. The name of named as Taliban. Later on, these groups became the organization was also changed into Tanzim ruler of Afghanistan under the leadership of Mula Qaidat al Jihad fi Bilad al Rafidayn. It started a Umar. Usama bin Laden, head of Al-Qaeda took resistance against USA. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is an shelter in Afghanistan (Sokirianskaia, 2019). After Iraqi citizen and he was the member of Shura the incident of 9/11 USA attacked Afghanistan to Council of Al-Qaeda. He later became head of the curb Al-Qaeda and Taliban. USA spent $100 billion Shura council. In 2010, he abandoned Al-Qaeda and on war against terror in Afghanistan. The leadership created his own group which is known as Islamic of Taliban and Al-Qaeda has been killed in the war State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State of Iraq and which has weakened the both organizations. USA Levant (ISIS/ISIL). The said group soon started and NATO left Afghanistan in December 2014, but gaining territory in the Levant. It had control over the emergence of ISIS gave Taliban a very little time Mosul, Tikrit, Raqqa, Manjib, Kobani and many other to rejoice. cities in Iraq and Syria where it declared Caliphate in Now, Taliban and ISIS are opponents in June 2014. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is its supreme Afghanistan. Taliban are losing territorial grip. Its leader (Keating & Kaczmarska, 2019). He designated members are shifting towards ISIS. Al Jazeera News himself as a Caliph and had deputies in Iraq and reported that Taliban had control of 70.5% area of Syria. He further distributed its territory in 18 Afghanistan in 2015, and it reduced to 65.5% in provinces. The Cabinet of the organization has 2016. ISIS declared the region as a Wilayat Khorasan departments like Shura, Sharia, Finance, Media, (Governorate). It is operating in Pakistan, Central Military, Intelligence and Security. He called the Asia, Russia and China with the help of its affiliates Muslims to join ISIS. The common purpose of the from Afghanistan. ISIS Khorasan is a direct security organization is the establishment of Khilafat, Shria threat to these regional countries. This study will and revival of the Muslim rule in the world. The probe that how these countries are making an higher ranks militants of the organization are Ex- alliance with Russia against ISIS Khorasan. Before military persons of Saddam Hussein. Their discussing ISIS Khorasan, it is imperative to know experience is a major boost for the organization. The how ISIS emerged (Rivera, 2019b). accurate number of the fighters is not available, Russia reported 71000 fighters, whereas USA Intelligence community reported that this organization has 20000 to 30000 fighters. It is the * Corresponding Author. 70 Muhammad Amin, Muhammad Asif / WALIA, 35(1) 2019, Pages: 70-76 wealthiest and a transnational organization of the ISIS in October 2014. On 2 January 2015, Abu Bakr al world. It has fighters from more than 90 countries Baghdadi announced Hafiz Saeed Khan as Amir of (Lushenko, Auken, & Stebbins, 2019). ISIS is far ISIS. On 26 January 2015, Abu Muhammad al Adnani better than Al-Qaeda in terms of generating spokesperson of ISIS also announced him as an Amir. resources. It is earning money through a successful Hafiz Saeed Khan was killed in an air strike on 26 marketing of oil, extortion and kidnapping. The July 2016. In January 2015, ISIS declared Afghanistan wealth of the ISIS attracted many militant groups or and Pakistan as its Wilayat Khorasan. It established their splinters to announce affiliation. ISIS brutally Khorasan Council to look after operations in targeted minorities in Iraq and Syria, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan. The same kind of Yazidi community. It is the well organized and affiliation was made by Abu Bakr Shekau, leader of advanced militant group. A strong structure makes the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram on 7 March the members ready to replace Abu Bakr al Baghdadi 2015. The leadership of ISIS celebrated the in case of death. It is using Amaq as its official news announcement but Nigeria was not declared as a agency and Dabiq as online magazine. These two Wilayat. It shows that ISIS has special plans for the media organs are used for spreading propaganda of so-called Khorasan region. The other commanders of ISIS and claiming the responsibilities of the attacks. Taliban like Hafiz Daulat Khan from Kurram Agency, The organization also started Cyber-attacks. They Molana Gul Zaman (Killed in a drone attack) from attacked a renowned Television website in France on Khyber Agency, Mufti Hassan from Peshawar, Khalid 9 April 2015. First of all, a Libyan group of militant Mansoor from Hangu and Shahid Ullah Shahid a announced its affiliation with ISIS. Ansar Beit al spokesperson of Tehrik e Taliban also announced Maqdis Jihadist group from Sinai, Egypt and Boko affiliation with ISIS. Shahid Ullah Shahid was killed in Haram of Nigeria joined it in 2015. It has affiliates a drone attack. The death of Mulla Umar created and supporters in Asia, Europe, America and breaches in the ranks of Tehrik-e-Taliban on the Australian continents. It is actively operating in 18 issue of leadership (Ismail & Mishra, 2019). countries. The International Community believes Head of the Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed that the most moderate arms, well-organized Khan was losing his control over different splinters structure, enough wealth, a proper news agency and and Pakistan Army was conducting a successful a very strong propaganda system make ISIS a operation Khyber One on Pak-Afghan border dangerous group than Al-Qaeda or Taliban. In 2014, (Rivera, 2019a). These are the main reasons of the when ISIS was on peak some 10 million people were affiliations with ISIS by the commanders of Tehrik-e- living under its controlled area. At the beginning of Taliban. On the other hand death of Mulla Umar 2016, ISIS had control over 78000 sq/km in Iraq and created breaches in the ranks of Taliban, revenue Syria but it lost 17600 sq/km in the same year. Many and influences of ISIS are also the reasons of the countries under USA and Russian leadership are affiliation. Royal United Services Institution reported fighting against it in Iraq and Syria (Mironova, 2019). in 2016 that ISIS has 2000 to 3000 fighters in Pakistan and 7000 to 8000 in Afghanistan. The 3. The Wilayat Khorasan Syrian based leadership of the ISIS is transferring money through Hawala (an illegal money transfer The word Khorasan was used by Prophet system) from Syria to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Muhammad (SAW) in his saying that an army of Pakistan, Afghanistan, USA and Taliban are currently Black flags will carry out a war from Khorasan and fighting against so-called ISIS Wilayat Khorasan. This called it a Battle of Hind. Therefore, the word Wilayat is becoming a direct security threat to the Khorasan is used by Jihadists. Khorasan was a following countries (Baev, 2019). province (Wilayat) under the Muslim rulers of Umayyad and Abbasid era. It had parts of 4. Most affected countries Afghanistan, Central Asian States, Pakistan and China. In 2014, a group of 50 members in Syria first 4.1. The Wilayat Khorasan in Afghanistan used the name of ISIS Khorasan. The members of this group were native of Pakistan, Chechnya and There are two reasons which make Afghanistan Afghanistan. Initially, ISIS started recruiting fighters an ideal place for ISIS. Firstly, the weak political and for Syria in Afghanistan. It appointed Abdul Rahim security system of Afghanistan and secondly, USA Muslim Dost as Amir of Kunar and Nuristan for the and NATO reduced their number of arm troops same purpose in September 2014. The organization under a Bilateral Security Agreement signed with distributed pamphlets in Pakistan and Afghanistan; Afghanistan in December 2014.