U.S. Offers Up to $18 Million for Two ISIS-K Leaders
The U.S. State Department has announced under its Rewards for Justice programme that it is offering up to $18 million for information leading to the identification, location or arrest of two senior members of ISIS-K.
According to the published information, Washington has offered up to $8 million for information on Sanaullah Ghafari, known as Shahab al-Muhajir, the leader of ISIS-K. The U.S. State Department said he was appointed by the ISIS central leadership to head the Khorasan branch in 2020 and is responsible for approving operations and securing funding for the group in Afghanistan.
The United States has also offered up to $10 million for information on Ubaidullah, a senior figure and financial official of ISIS-K. Under the details of the Rewards for Justice programme, he is involved in financing, planning attacks and leading the group’s operational units.
The announcement comes as concerns persist over the threat posed by ISIS-K in Afghanistan, an issue that appears to conflict with the Taliban administration’s claim that the group has been fully contained. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid previously rejected concerns raised by some members of the UN Security Council about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, saying no armed group is allowed to operate in the country.
He also claimed that Afghanistan is under the full control of the Taliban administration, that its territory is not being used against others, and that ISIS has been “completely crushed” in Afghanistan. However, the latest U.S. move to offer rewards for two key ISIS-K members has once again underscored the group’s continuing threat.
In recent years, several Afghan political figures and some regional countries have accused the United States and its allies of strengthening or using ISIS-K instrumentally. Among them, former Afghan lawmaker Tahir Qadiri had repeatedly made such claims, and Russia has also at various times described ISIS-K activity in Afghanistan as a serious threat to regional security.
