Explosion outside Kabul airport

U.S. officials say an explosion has occurred outside Kabul’s airport, after Western nations had warned of a possible attack there from the so-called Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan


Leadership: Headed since Jun 2020 by Shahab al-Muhajir. ISIS-K founding emir, Hafiz Saeed Khan (above), was killed in U.S. airstrike in 2016


ISLAMIC STATE KHORASAN (ISIS-K)
Origin: Formed by disaffected fighters from Pakistani Taliban, following creation in 2014 of caliphate in Iraq and Syria by so-called Islamic State group

Strength: Around 1,500-2,000 fighters in Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, with cells across country, including Kabul

Taliban relations: ISIS-K criticises Taliban’s version of Islamic rule as insufficiently hard line, and denounces their deal with U.S. over troop withdrawals


Attacks: ISIS-K was responsible for 77 attacks in Afghanistan in first four months of this year – up from 21 in same period in 2020, according to UN. School bombing in Kabul in May 2021, killed 80 schoolgirls

ISIS-K attacks
(Jan 2017-
Oct 2018)

Kabul 
AFGHANISTAN
Nuristan 
Kunar 
Nangarhar
200km 125 miles

Kabul airport: Explosion outside entrance reportedly caused by suicide bomber. At least 13 people killed


Picture: IS propaganda image
Sources: Center for Strategic and International Studies, UN, Reuters
© GRAPHIC NEWS