Who Are ISIS-K? Extreme Terrorist Module Behind Deadly Kabul Blasts & Its Rivalry With Taliban

Two back-to-back suicide bombs ripped through crowds at the gates of Kabul airport, already overwhelmed by cries of thousands attempting to flee the country following the comeback of Taliban rule. 

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin blasts that rocked Kabul airport on Thursday evening, killing over 85 people, including 13 US troops, further raising tensions amid the final stages of an already frenzied evacuation mission in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. 

Two back-to-back suicide bombs ripped through crowds at the gates of Kabul airport, overwhelmed by the cries of thousands attempting to flee the country following the comeback of Taliban rule. 

The Afghan affiliate of ISIS, also known as ISIS-K or ISIS-Khorasan, took responsibility for the blasts and even released a photograph of a suicide bomber, whose act left scenes of carnage outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.   

"Strongly condemning" the twin blasts that killed scores of people and injured many others, the Taliban said it had warned the US of a possible terror attack by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Who are ISIS-K and what threats do they pose to Afghanistan, a war-torn country already reeling under Taliban's resurgence?

Formed in January 2015, the Islamic State Khorasan is an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is said to be the most extreme and violent of all the jihadist militant groups in Afghanistan.

According to media reports, ISIS-K recruits from both Afghan and Pakistani jihadists, hiring those members of Afghan Taliban who do not see their own group as extreme. 

ISIS-K have been behind some of the worst gruesome activities in recent years, targeting girls, schools, hospitals and even a maternity ward where they reportedly shot dead pregnant women and nurses.

Unline Taliban, who appear to want to control only Afghanistan, ISIS-K are a part of a larger ISIS network that carries out attacks on the western world.

What Are They Located?

ISIS-K are based in the eastern province of Nangarhar, bordering Logar, Kabul, Laghman and Kunar provinces as well as an international border with Pakistan.

Are They Linked To Taliban?

Relatively yes, but via a third party group — the Haqqani Network.

Several media reports and experts suggest that there is a deep connection between ISIS-K and the Haqqani Network, which again is closely linked with the Taliban.

ISIS-K, however, have major differences with the Taliban as it accuses them of abandoning Jihad and the battlefield in favour of a negotiated peace settlement worked out in "posh hotels" in Doha, Qatar.

India On Kabul Twin Blasts

Strongly condemning the terrorist strikes in Kabul, India has told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that these attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists.

US On Kabul Terror Strikes

Hours after the blasts were reported, US President Joe Biden vowed to "hunt down" those responsible and make them pay for the deadly attacks outside the Kabul airport.

"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm notice, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command," Biden told reporters at the White House.