<div>Terror group Islamic State (ISIL/Da&rsquo;esh) has been unable to execute large-scale attacks in India, though its handlers attempted to incite lone-wolf attacks through local supporters, a UN report has revealed.</div>
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<div>According to the 35th Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Report, ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and their affiliates remain resilient despite external counter-terrorism efforts. Their decentralized structures continue to pose a significant security threat.</div>
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<div><strong>ISIL&rsquo;s Propaganda Efforts in India</strong></div>
<div>The report highlights that Al-Jauhar Media, a pro-ISIL outfit, has been spreading anti-India propaganda through its publication Serat ul-Haq. However, ISIL has not succeeded in orchestrating major terror operations within the country.</div>
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<div><strong>Terror Networks Fuel Regional Instability</strong></div>
<div>With over two dozen terror groups active in Afghanistan, the UN assessment describes the country as a persistent source of regional instability. Despite territorial losses and leadership setbacks, terrorist groups continue to operate, posing threats beyond Afghanistan&rsquo;s borders.</div>
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<div>A separate UN Secretary-General&rsquo;s report underscores that ISIL-K (Islamic State&ndash;Khorasan Province) remains a key threat in Afghanistan, impacting security in the region and beyond.</div>
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<div><strong>Taliban&rsquo;s Role and ISIL-K&rsquo;s Influence</strong></div>
<div>Despite Taliban efforts to counter ISIL-K, the terror outfit continues to challenge the de facto authorities, ethnic and religious minorities, the UN, and foreign nationals in Afghanistan.</div>
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<div>The UN report also notes that ISIL-K benefits from Taliban infiltration, corruption, and operational lapses, allowing it to sustain its presence. Mawlawi Rajab, ISIL-K&rsquo;s deputy, has played a central role in high-impact operations, including suicide bombings.</div>
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<div><strong>Threat to Central and South Asia</strong></div>
<div>ISIL-K is actively recruiting fighters, particularly from Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries, and using Afghanistan as a hub for recruitment and facilitation. Key routes for recruits include passage through Van Province (T&uuml;rkiye) and Orumiyeh, Mashhad, and Zahedan (Iran) into Herat and Nimroz (Afghanistan).</div>
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<div>The report also highlights past ISIL attacks in Iran and Russia, signaling the group's continued focus beyond Afghanistan.</div>
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<div><strong>Al-Qaeda and Taliban Nexus</strong></div>
<div>The report points to growing cooperation between Al-Qaida and regional terrorist groups, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM/TIP), and Jamaat Ansarullah.</div>
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<div>The Taliban has allowed Al-Qaeda to maintain safe houses and training camps across Afghanistan, providing operational space to TTP and financial support, including monthly payments of 3 million Afghanis ($43,000) to TTP leader Noor Wali Masoud&rsquo;s family.</div>
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<div><strong>TTP&rsquo;s Growing Influence</strong></div>
<div>TTP has expanded its training centers in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika (Barmal) provinces while increasing recruitment, including from the Afghan Taliban. The group is strengthening ties with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, launching attacks under the Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan banner.</div>
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<div>The UN warns that TTP&rsquo;s evolving collaboration with Al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban could transform it into a regional threat and an umbrella organization for other extremist groups.</div>
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ISIL- Khorasan Province is actively recruiting fighters to join its ranks

Handlers attempted to incite singular attacks with local support, pose security threat

ISIL Unable to Mount Large-Scale Attacks in India: UN Report

Handlers attempted to incite singular attacks with local support, pose security threat

February 16, 2025 | 19:18 IST