One of the most important ISIS affiliates in recent months is ISIS-K, or
ISIS Khorasan. The Group is based out of eastern Afghanistan, but is
claimed as the ISIS affiliate for a vast amount of central and southern
Asia. On Wednesday, ISIS issued a statement announcing it is being
split.
ISIS is turning ISIS-K into three distinct territories. ISIS Khorasan
will remain as a territory encompassing Afghanistan and theoretically
part of Iran. ISIS Pakistan will be covering Pakistani territory, and ISIS India Province will be intended to cover India and Kashmir.
It’s not clear how powerful ISIS forces are in either of these new
territories. ISIS Pakistan, however, has issued a statement claiming to
have attacked Taliban forces in Quetta, the main city for the Taliban’s
forces in Pakistan.
India is even more uncertain, though ISIS has in the past claimed
attacks in Kashmir, and the group will almost certainly remain
Kashmir-centric, given how important that region is for Islamist
factions in the region.
ISIS Splits Khorasan Affiliate, Announces New Groups Based in India, Pakistan
New ISIS Pakistan group claims attack on Taliban in Quetta
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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