Vilayat Khorasan

Vilayat Khorasan is an Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State. The name directly indicates the geopolitical ambitions of the militants to recreate the state by force on the territory of Ancient Khorasan.

At the end of 2022

2024: Members of the group participate in the attack at Crocus City Hall

Main article: Terrorism in Russia

On March 22, 2024, a terrorist attack occurred in Crocus City Hall, the victims of which were at least 145 people, another 551 people were injured. Most of the victims died in the fire, which was started by a group of 4 shooters.

In June 2025, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation submitted to the court cases against 19 accused of committing a terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall. Among them were members of the Vilayat Khorasan terrorist group, as well as accomplices of terrorists.

The department found that the terrorist attack was committed in the interests of the military-political leadership of Ukraine, the purpose of which was to destabilize the internal situation in Russia. In addition to the concert hall, the militants planned to undermine the entertainment complex in Kaspiysk.

In addition, it was revealed that citizens of Central Asia arrived in advance to carry out the terrorist attack on the territory of the country, who already within Russia interacted with their accomplices preparing weapons and explosives for them.

2023

Suicide bomber at the congress of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam party claimed the lives of 44 people

On July 30, 2023, a terrorist attack occurred in the Pakistani city of Bajaur in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province: a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device during a congress of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam party (DUI).

As a result, at least 44 people were killed, including several high-ranking party members, and more than 200 people were injured of varying severity.

IS militants Vilayat Khorasan claimed responsibility for the attack. And another terrorist group, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, operating in the same province in areas bordering Afghanistan, condemned the actions of IS extremists.

The situation in Pakistan is still unstable. After several months, there are no changes from statements about the possible start of a counter-terrorism operation in the border areas. The militants, as they acted on the border, and continue to act.

Why did IS attack members of this party? According to Pakistan's IROP channel, the DDI leadership is closely linked to the Afghan Taliban, and during the war years helped recruit and train recruits to join the Taliban.

If this information is correct, then IS militants hit not only the Pakistani authorities, who again allowed such a thing in Pakistan as a couple of months ago in Peshawar, but also the Taliban, refuting the words that IS does not pose any threat to the countries of the region.

And this time, IS militants eliminated members of a party ideologically close to the Taliban, which again demonstrates the tactics of extremists to eliminate important Taliban functionaries and their allies.

The killing of the governor of the Afghan province of Badakhshan and the terrorist attack at his funeral

On June 8, 2023, another explosion occurred in Afghan Faizabad in Badakhshan province: a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device inside a mosque during the funeral service of Acting Governor Nissar Ahmad Ahmadi, who died in the terrorist attack a few days ago.

The attack, according to the Afghan publication Aamaj News, killed 11 people and injured 30, including former Baglan police chief Safiullah Samim and several other Taliban officials and warlords. And in the Pakistani Tribune they wrote about 50 killed and 25 wounded.

Most likely, militants of the IS terrorist organization Vilayat Khorasan, who had previously taken responsibility for the murder of Nissar Ahmadi, were involved in the incident, the Rybar channel wrote.

In this case, there is a curious parallel between the tactics of IS extremists and American military personnel during the war in Afghanistan. After eliminating any important goal with the UAV, the Americans inflicted another or several at the funeral, when the relatives and friends of the murdered man gathered there. Thus, the command of the US Armed Forces achieved its goal through dozens of so-called "related" victims. Vilayat Khorasan militants adopted the tactics of their actions.

2022: On militant plans for Turkmenistan

In April 2022, after the militants shelled the Afghan branch of the IS Vilayat Khorasan in Uzbek territory, the press service of the terrorist organization announced the start of a new campaign against the countries of the post-Soviet space.

Since spring, extremists have done a great job promoting Salafist ideology among ethnic minorities in northern Afghanistan, including Uzbeks, Tajiks and Turkmens.

In November 2022, Vilayat Khorasan carries out propaganda in Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Dari, English, Uzbek, Tajik and Hindi. At the same time, Turkmenistan occupies a special position in the information policy of the IG.

Why Turkmenistan?

In June 2022, the Uzbek-language publication Tawhid announced that the countries of Central and South Asia, including Turkmenistan, would be united under the flag of the Islamic Caliphate.

A significant part of modern Turkmen territory was previously part of Ancient Khorasan - what the militants of the Afghan branch of IS are striving for.

The reconstruction of Khorasan by force is the ultimate goal of the Afghan IS. And the precedent with the seizure of Iraqi and Syrian lands in 2014 and 2015 is indicative in the reality of such a scenario, the Rybar channel noted.

Also a top priority for Vilayat Khorasan is to discredit, weaken and destroy the Taliban eventually in Afghanistan.

And the foreign policy of the Turkmen authorities on active interaction with the Taliban is completely contrary to the fundamental goals of the Islamic State.

The priority goals of the militants will be the Lazurite corridor for the delivery of Afghan products to Europe, as well as the promising TAPI gas pipeline (Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan - India).