UN Warns ISIS-Khorasan Remains Serious Regional Threat Despite Taliban Claims
The United Nations has stated that the ISIS Khorasan branch in Afghanistan remains one of the most serious security threats both regionally and beyond, an assessment that contradicts claims made by the Taliban administration.
Alexandre Zouev, a UN counter-terrorism official, said at a Security Council meeting on global ISIS threats that since mid-last year, the group’s activities and operational capabilities have increased and become more complex. He emphasized that in Afghanistan, ISIS Khorasan still retains the capacity to inflict harm at regional and international levels.
This comes as the Taliban administration has repeatedly rejected such assessments, asserting that ISIS has been completely suppressed in Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, claimed in a message on X (formerly Twitter) that there are no “unauthorized or foreign” armed groups active in Afghanistan and that concerns about the country’s security situation are unfounded.
Mujahid further said that international concerns are expressed because Taliban representatives are not present at such meetings to, in his words, “present the facts.” These claims come amid ISIS taking responsibility for a deadly attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul weeks ago—an incident that has raised serious questions about the extent to which the group is controlled in Afghanistan.
Beyond Afghanistan, the UN has warned that ISIS and aligned groups are expanding in West Africa and the Sahel region, while continuing attacks in Syria and Iraq. According to Zouev, the deadly shooting at a Jewish festival in Australia in December was also inspired by ISIS ideology.
