Identifying ISIS-K, the group that claimed responsibility for the bloody terrorist attack in Moscow

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group’s branch in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting in Moscow, Russia on the evening of March 22. US intelligence had warned in advance about the group’s plot to attack Russia.

Fire rages at the scene of the attack on the Crocus City Hall shopping mall in Moscow, Russia, on the evening of March 22. Photo: THX/TTXVN

According to the New York Times, the group that claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack was an IS branch in Afghanistan called "Islamic State Khorasan Province," or ISIS-K.

ISIS-K was founded in 2015 by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban who then embraced a more violent version of radical Islam. The group saw its ranks nearly halved to between 1,500 and 2,000 fighters in 2021, thanks to a combination of US airstrikes and Afghan commando raids that killed many of its leaders.

ISIS-K received a second wind of insurgency shortly after the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government that year. As US troops withdrew from the country, ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing at Kabul’s international airport in August 2021, killing 13 US soldiers and 170 civilians. ISIS-K was thrust into the international spotlight and was seen as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to rule.

Since then, the Taliban has fought fiercely against ISIS-K in Afghanistan. So far, Taliban security services have prevented the group from seizing territory or recruiting large numbers of disillusioned peacetime Taliban veterans—a worst-case scenario that has emerged after the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government.

Security forces at the scene of the terrorist attack on the evening of March 22

President Joe Biden and his top commanders said the US will carry out “over the horizon” strikes from a base in the Persian Gulf against ISIS and Qaeda militants who threaten the US and its interests abroad.

Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, told a House committee on March 21 that ISIS-K “retained the ability and will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in just six months with little warning.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow—potentially targeting large gatherings, including concerts—that prompted the State Department to issue a public advisory to Americans in Russia. The U.S. government also shared the information with Russian authorities under its longstanding “duty to warn” policy.

Counterterrorism officials in Europe say they have foiled several new ISIS-K plots to attack targets on the continent in recent months.

In a post on its official Telegram account in January, ISIS-K said it was behind a bombing that killed 84 people in Kerman, Iran, during a memorial service for Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a respected Iranian commander who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

ISIS-K, which has repeatedly threatened Iran, accusing it of polytheism and apostasy, has claimed responsibility for several previous attacks in Iran.

And now the group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow.

After a period of relative calm, the self-proclaimed Islamic State group is increasingly looking to launch attacks from abroad, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials. Most of those plots in Europe have been thwarted, leading to assessments that the group’s capabilities have been degraded.

“ISIS-K has been focused on Russia for the past two years,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a New York-based security consulting firm, and has frequently criticized President Vladimir Putin in its propaganda.

The March 22 attack in Moscow, like a January attack in Iran that the group claimed responsibility for, could prompt countries to reassess their ability to strike outside IS's original territory of operation.

Many countries strongly condemn the attack in Moscow

The Cuban government and many Latin American countries have condemned the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall shopping center in Moscow, Russia on the evening of March 22.

Through the social network X, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the brutal terrorist act and sent his sincere condolences to the Government and people of the Russian Federation, especially the families and friends of the victims.

Cuban National Assembly President Esteban Lazo and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also condemned the terrorist act.

The European Union and many countries condemned the attack. Photo: VNA

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro strongly condemned the “brutal armed attack” against innocent civilians and affirmed that “peace is the only path for humanity”.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo also sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, strongly condemning the terrorist crimes that have harmed innocent people, "victims of the hatred and confrontation characteristic of Nazism and fascism."

Bolivian President Luis Arce strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity and condolences to the Russian people, President Vladimir Putin and the families of the victims.

French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the attack.

Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and many other American countries also sent similar messages to the Russian Government and people.

In Europe, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed: "The barbarity of the massacre of innocent people in Moscow is unacceptable. The Italian government strongly condemns this cruel terrorist act."

The German Foreign Ministry also expressed condolences to the victims' families and said the cause of the incident needs to be clarified soon.

According to New York Times

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhan-dien-isis-k-nhom-nhan-thuc-hien-vu-khung-bo-dam-mau-o-moskva-post732018.html