ISIL-K Expands Reach Despite Setbacks: UN Report Highlights Threats

A UN report reveals that ISIL-K is increasing recruitment in India and maintaining its threat in the region. Despite losing territory, the group is embedding in al-Qaeda-affiliated cells, attracting disaffected individuals, and utilizing advanced technologies, including cryptocurrencies and unmanned weapons systems. The report warns of heightened security concerns in Afghanistan and beyond.

The terror group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan (ISIL-K) is aiming to recruit lone actors through handlers based in India, a recent UN report indicates. This comes despite the group's inability to conduct large-scale attacks within the country.

The report, the 34th of its kind from the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, underscores growing concerns among UN member states that terrorism originating from Afghanistan will continue to destabilize regional security. ISIL-K is particularly spotlighted as a significant threat, projecting its terror operations beyond Afghan borders.

According to the report, there is growing collaboration between Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Taliban, and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, with shared resources and training camps in Afghanistan. This alliance could escalate terror threats across South Asia, potentially leading to a merger that would amplify risks to countries like Pakistan, India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

Despite efforts by the Taliban to control al-Qaeda, the report notes increased cooperation among terror groups. In the short term, ISIL-K aims to maintain battle readiness and augment its operations, leveraging disaffected recruits and low-impact attacks to undermine both domestic and international security.

Technological advancements are also highlighted, with terror groups increasingly adopting anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies and sophisticated gear like unmanned aerial weapons. The widespread accessibility of such technology poses significant challenges to enforcing international sanctions.

(With inputs from agencies.)