IS-K rising? UN warns of global chaos as Pakistan fires back at US

The UN has warned of global chaos as Pakistan fires back at the US amid growing concerns over the Afghanistan-based terror group's expanding threat

The United Nations has raised alarm over the escalating threat of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS, warning that it poses a serious risk to regional and global security, reported Voice of America.

 

During a Security Council meeting on Monday, UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov called IS-K one of the “most dangerous branches” of the terror network, citing its deadly attacks on Afghan civilians and the Taliban regime.

 

“ISIL-Khorasan has continued to pose a significant threat in Afghanistan, the region, and beyond,” Voronkov stated. He further revealed that IS-K operatives have been linked to terror plots in Europe and are actively recruiting from Central Asia.

 

US and China voice concerns 

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Dorothy Shea also echoed these concerns, warning that IS-K remains a major threat beyond Afghanistan. “We remain concerned about ISIS-K’s capabilities to plot and conduct attacks, as well as sustain recruitment campaigns, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Shea said.

 

China’s envoy, Fu Cong, added that IS-K, along with al-Qaida and the anti-China East Turkestan Islamic Movement, is actively operating in Afghanistan. He urged the Taliban government to take “visible and verifiable action” to eliminate these groups.

 

Russia blames US withdrawal for IS-K’s rise 

On the other hand, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia pointed fingers at the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of US-led Nato forces from Afghanistan, arguing that it created a power vacuum that IS-K quickly exploited.

 

“The growing activity of ISIL-Khorasan is no coincidence. While hastily leaving Afghanistan, Nato troops abandoned vast quantities of weapons and equipment there, which then fell into the hands of ISIL,” Nebenzia stated.

 

Pakistan rejects US accusations 

Pakistan’s UN representative, Munir Akram, pushed back against US claims that IS-K is recruiting fighters within Pakistan. He emphasised that Afghanistan remains “the main hub for ISIL-K’s recruitment and facilitation,” dismissing any suggestion that the terror group is gaining ground in his country.

 

Taliban downplays IS-K threat 

The Taliban has yet to officially respond to the UN warnings but has consistently dismissed claims that IS-K is operating in Afghanistan. Taliban leaders insist that their security forces have successfully dismantled IS-K hideouts and that the group no longer poses a serious threat.

 

Despite these assurances, IS-K continues to launch deadly attacks. In December, a suicide bomber killed Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s minister of refugees, in one of the most high-profile assassinations since the group took control of Afghanistan.