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147-559: Known leader : Groups State opponents The Islamic State – Khorasan Province ( ISIS–K , IS–K , IS–KP ) is a regional branch of the Salafi jihadist group Islamic State (IS) active in South-Central Asia, primarily Afghanistan and Pakistan . ISIS–K seeks to destabilize and replace current governments within the historic Khorasan region with the goal of establishing a caliphate across South and Central Asia , governed under
294-496: A suicide bombing in July 2023 that killed 63 in Khar, Pakistan at a JUI (F) rally. While the majority of ISIS–K attacks occur in eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province , since April 2022, ISIS–K has expanded to conduct external operations beyond its traditional area of operations. In April and May 2022, respectively, ISIS–K launched rockets from Afghan territory into
441-767: A Muslim majority in the Levant is presumed to have been reached by the 13th century. The majority of Levantine Muslims are Sunnis adhering to the four madhhabs ( Hanafi , Shafi'i , Hanbali and Maliki ). Islamic minorities include the Alawites and Nizari Ismailis in Syria, and Twelver Shiites in Lebanon . Levantine Christian groups include Greek Orthodox ( Antiochian Greek ), Syriac Orthodox , Eastern Catholic ( Syriac Catholic , Melkite and Maronite ), Roman Catholic ( Latin ), Nestorian , and Protestant . Armenians mostly belong to
588-599: A caliphate in Iraq and Syria, al-Baghdadi (caliph of ISIS), Muslim Turkmani (deputy emir), and Abu Omar al-Shishani (senior commander in Raqqa ) had been strongly advocating that the volunteers set up a new branch (wilayah) in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the territories of Iran and Central Asia as later goals. On 3 April 2014, al-Shishani appointed Qari Wali Rahman, an Afghan from Baghlan , who had been fighting in Syria since 2013, to be
735-424: A consistent inflow of funds, showcasing the interconnected nature of various ISIS factions. While the exact mechanisms of this financial relationship remain undisclosed, it is evident that support from ISIS-Central plays a pivotal role in strengthening ISIS–K's operational capacity. This internal funding stream highlighted the cohesive financial structure within the broader Islamic State. Controlled territories became
882-447: A drone attack against a suspected Islamic State bomber in Kabul killed a family of nine, including six children. ISIS–K sustains its operations through a complex financing structure that draws on diverse sources. ISIS–K has benefitted significantly from financial support originating from the broader ISIS network, particularly from the central leadership. This internal coordination allows for
1029-628: A funeral in Kuz Kunar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. The U.S. government said that ISIS–K conducted the May 2020 Afghanistan attacks , not the Taliban, but this assertion was rejected by the republican Afghan government . On 2 November 2020, more than 32 people were killed and 50 others injured in an attack on Kabul University . The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for
1176-454: A house in Lahore 's Factory Area as part of their combing operation which was approved by Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa in the aftermath of Mall Road bombing . After an exchange of fire which killed one "terrorist", three other suspects were arrested, one of them being Noreen Leghari, a student from Hyderabad, Pakistan who was claimed to be missing by her family 4 days prior to
1323-417: A key source of revenue for ISIS–K through the implementation of a taxation system. The group levies taxes on local populations and businesses, demonstrating a degree of financial autonomy within its operational zones. This strategy allowed ISIS–K to extract resources directly from the communities it governed, contributing to its self-sufficiency. The local taxation approach reflects the group's ability to exploit
1470-419: A large-workforce. The workforce embraced Salafi doctrines and founded Salafi organisations as they returned to their home-countries. Beginning from 1970s, various Islamist and Jihadist factions attempted to idealize traditional Salafiyya , recasting it as a totalizing political system based on the doctrines of Sayyid Qutb. Majority of Salafis traditionally viewed Salafiyya as a scholarly movement that revived
1617-525: A loosely organized strictly clandestine cell system dependent on hard-line religious leaders for direction. Jund Ansar Allah is, or was, an armed Salafist jihadist organization in the Gaza Strip . On August 14, 2009, the group's spiritual leader, Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa , announced during Friday sermon the establishment of an Islamic emirate in the Palestinian territories attacking the ruling authority,
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#17328520862611764-523: A lot of natural resources under their control, like oil wells." Beginning in mid-2013, the groups' leaders began to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , the caliph of the Islamic State, though it remains unclear how the militant's original organizations viewed these newly sworn allegiances or if others opted to remain loyal to al-Qaida's al-Nusra Front. Through early 2014, even before the Islamic State would officially separate from al-Qaeda and declare
1911-627: A mimicry of the West of which they want to be part of, but reject the other leading to violence. However, more than the ideology itself, it is the circumstances that explain the appeal of Jihadis which is the real cause of violence. The traditional Mujahideen of the previous eras, such as ‘ Omar al-Mukhtar , ‘ Abd al-Qadir, al-Jaza’iri and ‘ Izz al-Din al-Qassam were a different category of people, products of different social circumstances who sought to liberate occupied lands from foreign imperialist and colonial penetrations. Although they gained solidarity across
2058-528: A month, four times that of Taliban fighters. Most importantly, these jihadist units fought as organized groups and would eventually be brought back to Afghanistan and Pakistan, unlike previous groups which were assimilated into local jihadist groups fighting in Syria. Deployments of groups by al-Qaeda in South Asia and by parts of the Taliban quickly made a remarkable impact on the Syrian conflict. From 2012 through 2014,
2205-455: A more fundamentalist , Islamist government. These groups fought against the governments of Iran , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Pakistan , and China , most with support from al-Qaeda which had operated with a base of operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1988. In response to failed negotiations with the Taliban following the September 11th 2001 attacks by al-Qaeda against
2352-432: A multifaceted financial strategy. ISIS–K engaged in various criminal enterprises, including human trafficking and smuggling, to bolster its financial resources. These illicit activities served as additional streams of income, contributing to the group's financial resilience. The involvement in criminal enterprises demonstrated ISIS–K's ability to adapt its funding strategies, indicating a level of sophistication in navigating
2499-642: A raid in Nangarhar according to a U.S. forces spokesman. Emir was reported to have facilitated major attacks and provided ISIS–K bombmakers with explosive materials. On 30 April 2019, Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against both ISIS–K and the Taliban in eastern Nangarhar Province after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of villages in an area of illegal talc mining. The National Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS–K fighters were killed and two weapons caches destroyed while
2646-505: A range of revenue-generating activities. Overall, ISIS–K's financing structure is characterized by a combination of internal support from ISIS-Central, local taxation in controlled territories, external funding from sympathetic patrons, and engagement in criminal enterprises. Since the Taliban took control of the Afghan central government following the United States withdrawal and collapse of
2793-626: A ruling" which is under the jurisdiction of the rulers. Salafi jihadists contend that they are not dividing the Muslim community because, in their view, the rulers of Muslim-majority countries and other self-proclaimed Muslims they attack have deviated from Islam and are actually apostates or false Muslims . Quietist Salafis criticize Al-Qaeda and Islamic State as Qutbists and often label Salafi Islamists as " Surooris ". According to them, these organizations are directly opposed to Salafiyya and its manhaj (methodology). Major doctrines of
2940-439: A significant portion of the group's financial support. External funding not only provides an additional layer of financial backing but also highlighted the global network that ISIS–K tapped into for resources. Moreover, engaging in criminal enterprises, such as human trafficking and smuggling, further diversify ISIS–K's funding sources. The group's adaptability in generating funds from both international and illicit channels showcased
3087-522: A statement by the U.S. military. Two U.S. soldiers died during the operation, possibly due to friendly fire. On 1 January 2019, Afghan Special Forces attacked ISIS–K in Nangarhar Province's Achin District, killing 27 militants according to officials. Two local ISIS leaders, Sediq Yar and Syed Omar, were reported to be among those killed. On 10 January, senior ISIS–K commander Khetab Emir was also killed in
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#17328520862613234-474: A strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law, which they plan to expand beyond the region. ISIS–K is responsible for numerous attacks of targeting civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, predominately against Shia Muslims , politicians, and government employees. In August 2017, ISIS–K and the Taliban jointly attacked several villages inhabited by the Shia Hazara minority in northern Afghanistan, resulting in
3381-568: A stronger influence over future terrorist organizations. The crushing defeat of various Arab states in the 1967 Six-Day War led to the de-legitimization of socialist and nationalist ideologies across the Arab world. Their demise provided a fertile ground for the Salafiyya movement, which spread across the Arab world as well as the wider Islamic world. The rise of oil industry in Gulf states also brought in
3528-518: A variety of Arabic descended from the pre-Islamic Arabic dialects of Syria and Hejazi Arabic , but retaining significant influence from Western Middle Aramaic . Levantine Arabic is usually classified as North Levantine Arabic in Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey, and South Levantine Arabic in Palestine and Jordan. Each of these encompasses a spectrum of regional or urban/rural variations. In addition to
3675-688: Is Mullah Abdul Khadim, from the Orakzai tribe of Pakistan. I don't know who is my boss and we don't need to know that. I only know who my boss is and who the leader of Khilafat-i-Islami is, Amir-ul-Muminin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Daesh is not like the Taliban where everyone knows about their system." Though ISIS–K, when it was officially declared in January 2015, was the product of the merger of Tehrik-e Khilafat Khorasan (TKK), Khilafat Afghan, Muslim Dost's group, Azizullah Haqqani's group, and Tehrik-e Khilafat Pakistan (TKP),
3822-490: Is a post-modern hybridity whose sources can be found in the past and present, in both Muslim world and Western world. Thus, it is the outcome of cross-fertilisation of sources that are both transnational and local, resulting in a devastating ideology that re-invents the past to induce a "cataclysmic war between two binary oppositions". Contemporary Salafi-Jihadis are primarily products of modernity rather than an extension of traditional Muslim societies. Thus, Jihadis seek to create
3969-429: Is a religiopolitical Sunni Islamist ideology that seeks to establish a global caliphate . An extreme, jihadist interpretation of the broader Salafism movement, Salafi jihadism is characterized by the advocacy of physical violence against both non-Muslims, and self-proclaimed Muslims deemed to be heretics or apostates . In a narrower sense, jihadism refers to the belief that armed confrontation with political rivals
4116-474: Is an "extreme form of Sunni Islamism that rejects democracy and Shia rule". Hafez distinguished them from apolitical and conservative Salafi scholars (such as Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani , Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen , Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz , Wasiullah Abbas , Zubair Ali Zai , and Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh ) but also from the sahwa movement associated with Salman al-Ouda or Safar Al-Hawali . According to Michael Horowitz , Salafi jihad
4263-657: Is an acronym of the Islamic State's name in Arabic ( ad- Da wlah al- I slamīyah fī l-ʻ I rāq wa ash- Sh ām ) as Dāʿish ( داعش ), or Daesh . This name is considered derogatory, as it resembles the Arabic words Daes ( دَعَسَ , lit. 'to trample', 'to run over') and Dāhis ( دَاحِس , lit. 'one who causes discord'). The name 'Daesh' is also used in the area of ISIS–K's operations, including among Farsi , Dari , Pashto , Balochi , and Urdu speakers. In interviews with western researchers and journalists, ISIS–K members and heads alike use
4410-476: Is an efficient and theologically legitimate method of socio-political change. The Salafist interpretation of sacred Islamic texts is "in their most literal, traditional sense", which adherents claim will bring about the return to "true Islam ". The original use of the term "jihadist Salafists", also spelled "Salafi-jihadi" or "Salafist jihadis", came from French political scientist Gilles Kepel . Kepel used it to refer to international volunteers of
4557-674: Is an ideology that identifies the "alleged source of the Muslims' conundrum" in the "persistent attacks and humiliation of Muslims on the part of an anti-Islamic alliance of what it terms 'Crusaders', 'Zionists', and 'apostates'." The concept was described by the American-Israeli scholar Martin Kramer as an academic term that "will inevitably be [simplified to] jihadism or the jihadist movement in popular usage." According to political scientist Gilles Kepel , Salafist jihadism combined "respect for
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4704-734: Is borrowed from the French levant 'rising', referring to the rising of the sun in the east, or the point where the sun rises. The phrase is ultimately from the Latin word levare , meaning 'lift, raise'. Similar etymologies are found in Greek Ἀνατολή Anatolē ( cf. Anatolia 'the direction of sunrise'), in Germanic Morgenland ( lit. ' morning land ' ), in Italian (as in Riviera di Levante ,
4851-885: Is characterized by "five features": Another researcher, Thomas Hegghammer , has outlined five objectives shared by jihadis: Robin Wright notes the importance in Salafi jihadist groups of Al Jazeera journalist Jamal Al Sharif describes Salafi jihadism as combining "the doctrinal content and approach of Salafism and organisational models from Muslim Brotherhood organisations. Their motto emerged as 'Salafism in doctrine, modernity in confrontation ' ". Much of Salafi-Jihadist discourse borrows heavily from Sayyid Qutb's concept of jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance), hakimiyya (Sovereignty of God) and takfir (excommunication). Prominent contemporary ideologues of Salafi jihadism, such as Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada al Filistini , drew heavily from
4998-745: Is represented in 90 out of 2500 investigated religious communities, which was double the number compared to five years earlier. In November and December 2016, authorities closed four salafist mosque in Ecquevilly , the El Islah mosque in Villiers-sur-Marne and two in Seine-Saint-Denis ( Clichy-sous-Bois and Stains ). In December 2017, a salafi-Jihadist mosque in Marseille was closed by authorities for preaching about violent jihad. In August 2018, after
5145-729: Is still active in jihad against the Ba'athist Syrian regime. Perhaps the most famous and effective Salafist jihadist group was Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda evolved from the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK), or the "Services Office", a Muslim organization founded in 1984 to raise and channel funds and recruit foreign mujahideen for the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. It was established in Peshawar , Pakistan, by Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Yusuf Azzam . As it became apparent that
5292-528: Is the case in parts of Kashmir and Turkistan. So the Wilāyah, by Allah’s permission, is a gate to re-conquering all these regions until they are ruled once more by Allah’s law, and so the territory of the blessed Khilāfah [caliphate] is expanded. Prior to the official establishment of ISIS–K in 2015, a number of Islamic militant jihadist groups operated in South and Central Asia, seeking to supplant existing governments with
5439-558: The 13th and 14th centuries, the term levante was used for Italian maritime commerce in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Anatolia , Syria-Palestine , and Egypt , that is, the lands east of Venice . Eventually the term was restricted to the Muslim countries of Syria-Palestine and Egypt. The term entered English in the late 15th century from French. It derives from the Italian levante , meaning "rising", implying
5586-662: The Afghan National Army (ANA) in August 2021, the Taliban has been locked in a violent counterinsurgency struggle against ISIS–K. The Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has sought international legitimacy by demonstrating its efforts to curb terrorism and secure national sovereignty over Afghan territory, namely for prospects of international investment to reverse Afghanistan's increasing poverty . Salafi jihadism Salafi jihadism , also known as Salafi-jihadism , jihadist Salafism and revolutionary Salafism ,
5733-776: The Algerian Civil War . In Afghanistan , the Taliban were adherents of the Deobandi , not the Salafi school of Islam, but they closely co-operated with bin Laden and various Salafi-jihadist leaders. The largest jihadist-Salafist terrorist operation is considered to be the September 11 attacks against the United States perpetrated by al-Qaeda in 2001. In his research, Seth Jones of the Rand Corporation finds that Salafi-jihadist numbers and activity have increased from 2007 to 2013. According to his research: "Theoreticians" of Salafist jihadism included Afghan jihad veterans such as
5880-637: The Armenian Apostolic Church . There are also Levantines or Franco-Levantines who adhere to Roman Catholicism . There are also Assyrians belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church . Other religious groups in the Levant include Jews , Samaritans , Yazidis and Druze . Most populations in the Levant speak Levantine Arabic ( شامي , Šāmī ),
6027-946: The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan ), attempting to take over a Muslim region (Afghanistan), and had been enthusiastically supported by large numbers of Muslims including governments. Isolated from their national and social class origins and seeking to "rationalize" their "existence and behavior", some Arab Afghan volunteers expanded the targets of their jihad to include the United States and various governments of Muslim-majority countries — whom they perceived as apostates from Islam. Jihadist and Salafist elements of "hybrid" ideology developed by international volunteers (Arab-Afghan mujahideen ) had not been joined previously because mainstream Salafis, dubbed by some Western commentators as "good Salafis", had mostly adhered to political quietism and eschewed political activities and partisan allegiances, viewing them as potentially divisive for
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6174-584: The European Court of Human Rights approved the decision, French authorities deported the salafi-Jihadist preacher Elhadi Doudi to his home country Algeria because of his radical messages he spread in Marseille. Levant The Levant ( / l ə ˈ v æ n t / lə- VANT ) is a term used to define the historical and geographical subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean sea to
6321-569: The FSB , blamed Ukraine for the attack, but did not provide evidence for the attribution. IS-affiliated Amaq News Agency published a video filmed by one of the attackers. On 4 April 2020, the National Directorate of Security announced the arrest of the head of IS Aslam Farooqi by the Afghan military forces who took him into custody along with 20 other commanders. On 13 April 2017, a GBU-43/B MOAB
6468-556: The First World War . Rida believed that deference to man-made laws was tantamount to the polytheism of " Jahiliyya " and campaigned for the re-establishment of a Sunni Caliphate that would unite the Muslims. Only this, Rida asserted, alongside the "return to true and pure Islam" exemplified by the tenets of the Salafiyya movement; could liberate Muslim World from colonialism and restore past Islamic glory . Rida's treatises laid
6615-476: The Greek islands ). In 19th-century archaeology, it referred to overlapping cultures in this region during and after prehistoric times, intending to reference the place instead of any one culture. The French mandate of Syria and Lebanon (1920–1946) was called the Levant states. Today, "Levant" is the term typically used by archaeologists and historians with reference to the history of the region. Scholars have adopted
6762-456: The Islamist group Hamas , for failing to enforce Sharia law. Hamas forces responded to his sermon by surrounding his Ibn Taymiyyah mosque complex and attacking it. In the fighting that ensued, 24 people (including Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa himself) were killed and over 130 were wounded. In 2011, Salafist jihadists were actively involved with protests against King Abdullah II of Jordan , and
6909-783: The Latin Christians of the Levant continue to be called Levantine Christians . The Levant has been described as the "crossroads of Western Asia , the Eastern Mediterranean, and Northeast Africa ", and in geological ( tectonic ) terms as the "northwest of the Arabian Plate ". The populations of the Levant share not only geographic position, but cuisine , some customs, and history . They are often referred to as Levantines . The term Levant appears in English in 1497 , and originally meant 'the East ' or 'Mediterranean lands east of Italy'. It
7056-725: The Muslim Brotherhood Qutb argued that the Muslim world had reached a crisis point and that the Islamic world has been replaced by pagan ignorance of Jahiliyyah , (which directly translates to "ignorance", a term used by Muslims to describe the "dark" ages of pre-Islamic Arabia ). When Qutb went abroad for a two-year scholarship to the United States , it is said he came back with extremist radical beliefs. He used what's been often described by scholars as his "genuine literary excellence" to spread these views of western criticism to form
7203-735: The Ottoman Sultan in 1579. The English Levant Company was founded in 1581 to trade with the Ottoman Empire , and in 1670 the French Compagnie du Levant [ fr ] was founded for the same purpose. At this time, the Far East was known as the "Upper Levant". In early 19th-century travel writing , the term sometimes incorporated certain Mediterranean provinces of the Ottoman Empire , as well as independent Greece (and especially
7350-663: The Palestinian territories and most of Turkey southwest of the middle Euphrates . Its overwhelming characteristic is that it represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia . In its widest historical sense, the Levant included all of the Eastern Mediterranean with its islands; that is, it included all of the countries along the Eastern Mediterranean shores, extending from Greece in Southern Europe to Egypt and Cyrenaica (Eastern Libya) in Northern Africa . In
7497-443: The Salafis whom he encountered in Europe in the 1980s, were "totally apolitical". However, by the mid-1990s, he met some who felt jihad in the form of "violence and terrorism" was "justified to realize their political objectives". The mingling of many Salafists who were alienated from mainstream European society with violent jihadists created "a volatile mixture". "When you're in the state of such alienation you become easy prey to
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#17328520862617644-453: The Sinai Peninsula (Asian Egypt) are sometimes included. As a name for the contemporary region, several dictionaries consider Levant to be archaic today. Both the noun Levant and the adjective Levantine are now commonly used to describe the ancient and modern culture area formerly called Syro-Palestinian or Biblical: archaeologists now speak of the Levant and of Levantine archaeology ; food scholars speak of Levantine cuisine ; and
7791-535: The Southern Levant . While the usage of the term "Levant" in academia has been restricted to the fields of archeology and literature, there is a recent attempt to reclaim the notion of the Levant as a category of analysis in political and social sciences. Two academic journals were launched in the early 2010s using the word: the Journal of Levantine Studies , published by the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and The Levantine Review , published by Boston College . The word Levant has been used in some translations of
7938-465: The U.S. retreat from Afghanistan in 2021. Political Militant [REDACTED] Islam portal In the words of Madawi al Rasheed , Salafi jihadism is "a hybrid construction deeply rooted in the last three decades of the twentieth century that is desperate to anchor itself in an authentic Islamic tradition, yet reflecting serious borrowing from the discourse of Western modernity". According to Madawi Al Rasheed, ideology of Jihadi-Salafism
8085-419: The United States . In it he complained of Western materialism , individual freedoms , economic system, racism , brutal boxing matches, "poor" haircuts , superficiality in conversations and friendships, restrictions on divorce , enthusiasm for sports , lack of artistic feeling, "animal-like" mixing of the sexes (which "went on even in churches"), and strong support for the new Israeli state . He
8232-427: The al-Nusra Front in Syria. Similarly, as the Taliban's Quetta Shura and leadership council ( Rahbari Shura ) refused to send fighters to Syria, the Taliban's Peshawar Shura and semi-autonomous Miran Shah Shura (better known as the Haqqani network ) arranged a deal between Sirajuddin Haqqani and ISIS-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to deploy Afghan and Pakistani jihadists to the Syrian conflict on salaries of $ 800
8379-561: The bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul in September 2022. The majority of ISIS–K attacks have been based in Afghanistan, traditionally the group's primary base of operations. Since the close of the NATO presence in Afghanistan and the subsequent military takeover by the Taliban, the group has increased its presence across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), where it has launched an increasing share of its attacks. ISIS–K's first external operation (operations beyond its conventional area of operations) came on 18 April 2022, during
8526-399: The jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan who had come from around the world to fight for Islam against Marxist–Leninist forces in Afghanistan and had lost the American-Saudi funding and interest after the Soviet forces had withdrawn but wanted to continue waging jihad elsewhere. Their original jihad was against an aggressive anti-religious power (Soviet Union and its allies like
8673-467: The mass murder of Hazara men, women, and children within Sar-e Pol Province . Some of its most notable attacks include the 2021 Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American military personnel and at least 169 Afghans in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from the country, twin suicide bombings in July 2018 that killed at least 131 at election rallies in Pakistan, twin bombings in July 2016 that killed 97 Shia Hazara protestors in downtown Kabul, and
8820-421: The "sheikists" had forsaken adoration of God for adoration of "the oil sheiks of the Arabian peninsula, with the Al Saud family at their head". Principal among the sheikist scholars was Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz – "the archetypal court ulema [ ulama al-balat ]". These allegedly "false" salafi "had to be striven against and eliminated", but even more infuriating was the Salafi Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood , whom
8967-437: The 1980s, Salafi jihadists had by the mid-2000s acquired "a burgeoning presence in Europe, having attempted more than 30 terrorist attacks among E.U. countries since 2001". While many see the influence and activities of Salafi jihadists as in decline after 2000 (at least in the United States), others see the movement as growing in the wake of the Arab Spring , the breakdown of state control in Libya and Syria in 2014, and
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#17328520862619114-678: The Afghan Taliban, TTP, IMU , LeT , LeJ , and others to join the effort. These ten commanders would become ISIS–K's early senior figures, including Sheikh Mohsin and Sa'ad Emarati who would become ISIS–K's first emirs of Kunar and Logar Province , respectively. In support of the growing movement, the Haqqani Network and Peshawar Shura, established two training camps in Waziristan and Kunar to teach militants combat skills, vet militants, and provide elementary Arabic language lessons. Once complete, these fighters would transit across Iran and Turkey to reach Syria, mostly posing as economic migrants , or on commercial flights for more senior leaders. At
9261-414: The Afghan jihad, such as Abu Qatada al-Filistini , the naturalized Spanish Syrian Abu Musab , and Mustapha Kamel known as Abu Hamza al-Masri , among others. The jihadist ideology of Qutbism has been identified variously as the ideological foundation of the movement, a closely related Islamist ideology, or a variety of revolutionary Salafism. While Salafism had little presence in Europe during
9408-576: The Afghanistan jihad and unlike the more moderate AIS, fought to destabilize the Algerian government with terror attacks designed to "create an atmosphere of general insecurity". It considered jihad in Algeria fard ayn or an obligation for all (sane adult male) Muslims, and sought to "purge" Algeria of "the ungodly" and create an Islamic state. It pursued what Gilles Kepel called "wholesale massacres of civilians ", targeting French-speaking intellectuals, foreigners, and Islamists deemed too moderate, and took its campaign of bombing to France, which supported
9555-436: The Algerian government against the Islamists. Although over 150,000 were killed in the civil war, the GIA eventually lost popular support and was crushed by the security forces. Remnants of the GIA continued on as "Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat", which as of 2015 calls itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb . Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya , (the Islamic Group) another Salafist-jihadi movement fought an insurgency against
9702-418: The Egyptian government from 1992 to 1998 during which at least 800 Egyptian policemen and soldiers, jihadists, and civilians were killed. Outside of Egypt it is best known for a November 1997 attack at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor where fifty-eight foreign tourists trapped inside the temple were hunted down and hacked and shot to death. The group declared a ceasefire in March 1999, although as of 2012 it
9849-414: The Islamic State (IS). Added to the larger organization's name, 'Khorasan Province' varies in abbreviation between 'K' and 'KP'. Thus, commonly used English abbreviations for the group include ISIS–K, ISIL–K, IS–K, ISIS–KP, ISIL–KP, IS–KP, ISISK, ISK, and ISKP. Colloquially, especially in southwest and south-central Asia , the group referred to by the abbreviation of the larger Islamic State: Daesh , which
9996-424: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( rebranded later to 'Islamic State') declared an Islamic caliphate in 2014 with al-Baghdadi as caliph. By 2010, the Taliban resistance had become weakened under the stresses of factionalism, and the Taliban had lost credibility with many of the jihadist groups for its attempts to negotiate with NATO forces . In contrast, the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March 2011 shifted
10143-411: The Islamic State's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even though the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria had agreed to the establishment of a branch in Khorasan, and though a single, special representative to the new branch had been named, the groups of volunteers from the Khorasan region (primarily Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan) were still disunited and dispersed. Only in 2014, had
10290-438: The Islamic World, they were not transnational actors. Salafi-Jihadis on the other hand, die for an imagined globalised faith, shares Western modernity (despite its critique), and advocate a neo-liberal free-market rationale, in their quest for a global World Order. Thus Jihadi-Salafism has as much to do with the West as with Salafism or religion in general. Another definition of Salafi jihadism, offered by Mohammed M. Hafez ,
10437-417: The Islamic holy month of Ramadan , when the group launched ten rockets out of a Katyusha launcher from northern Afghanistan, over the Amu Darya (Oxus) river into the Uzbek border city of Termez . ISIS-Central published the account in its an-Naba Newsletter, Issue #335, and released video of the launch via the organization's Amaq News Agency . In an-Naba , ISIS claimed the attack was conducted as part of
10584-643: The Khorasan Province still exists, its self-proclaimed geographical area may be reduced. By May 2020 ISIS–K territorial control in Afghanistan was reportedly limited to parts of Chawkay District in Kunar province, specifically Chalas village, Dewaygal Valley and Shuraz Valley. On 26 July 2020, a United Nations report stated that even though the IS branch in Afghanistan had undergone further severe reverses in its former Afghan strongholds of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, it
10731-493: The Pakistani and Iranian Jundullah movements, which ISIS–K united. These groups shared with ISIS–K a violent opposition to Shia Muslims and the desire to replace existing secular and democratic institutions in the region with a powerful Islamic state. Many of these groups, prior to the establishment of ISIS–K, relied on limited support from al-Qaeda, which by the time of ISIS–K's founding had been dismissed as too focused and engaged in
10878-623: The Palestinian Abu Qatada , the Syrian Mustafa Setmariam Nasar , the Egyptian Mustapha Kamel, known as Abu Hamza al-Masri . Osama bin Laden was its most well-known leader. The dissident Saudi preachers Salman al-Ouda and Safar Al-Hawali , were held in high esteem by this school. Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri would praise Sayyid Qutb , stating that Qutb's call formed the ideological inspiration for
11025-640: The Salafi Jihadist movement have its roots in early heterodox sects such as the Kharijites . As a result, heavy creedal disparities exist between traditional Salafis and Salafi Jihadists. Mainstream Salafism, which consists of both quietist and political Salafis, reject the violence of Jihadists. Major Purist Salafi ulema condemn certain Salafi-jihadist organisations as Kharijites . The Egyptian Islamist movements of 1950s are generally considered to be
11172-492: The Salafi jihadists considered excessively moderate and lacking in a stricter literalist interpretation of holy texts. Quietist Salafi scholarship in turn, denounce Salafi jihadism as a heterodox ideology far-removed from Salafi orthodoxy. Quietist Salafi scholars such as Albani , Ibn Uthaymeen , Ibn Baz , Saleh Al-Fawzan , and Muqbil ibn Hadi condemned rebellion against the rulers as "the most corrupt of innovations", and forbade Muslims "to take it upon himself to execute
11319-480: The Taliban as well as individuals from South and South East Asia. Due in part to the contentious and fluid naming pattern of the larger Islamic State organization, ISIS–K is referred to by a number of name variants. The larger organization has shifted between names such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham (ISIS), and later simply
11466-607: The Taliban claimed U.S.-backed Afghan forces killed seven civilians; a provincial official said over 9,000 families had been displaced by the fighting. On 21 August 2019, an airstrike killed six militants of IS in Nangarhar province including two Pakistani nationals. In July 2018, the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province. On 27 August 2021, the United States launched an airstrike against three suspected ISIS–K members in Nangarhar Province . On 29 August,
11613-873: The United States, the U.S. overthrew the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and launched a military campaign against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who fought to reclaim the country. The insurgent conflict became a focal point for jihadism in the Khorasan region with nearly every jihadist group in the region taking part to varying degrees. Later in 2003, the United States overthrew the Ba’athist government of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein . Jamat al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad ('Organization of Monotheism and Jihad'), led by Jordanian Salafist jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , quickly gained notoriety for bloody attacks on Shia mosques, civilians, Iraqi government, American, and foreign troops. In 2004, Zarqawi swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and
11760-591: The United States. In 1996, it announced its jihad to expel foreign troops and interests from what they considered Islamic lands, and in 1998, it issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill Americans and their allies whenever and wherever they could. Among its most notable acts of violence were the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi that killed over 200 people; and the 9/11 attacks of 2001 that killed almost 3,000 people and caused many billions of dollars in damage. According to Mohammed M. Hafez, "as of 2006
11907-504: The aftermath of the attack, Save the Children suspended its operations in Afghanistan. On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured. ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites . On 12 May 2020, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and
12054-694: The area that is bounded by the Taurus Mountains of Turkey in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia in the east, and Sinai in the south (which can be fully included or not). Typically, it does not include Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor), the Caucasus Mountains, or any part of the Arabian Peninsula proper. Cilicia (in Asia Minor) and
12201-588: The attack in an-Naba and a video of the operation through Amaq News Agency. ISIS–K's third external operation, the first of which to gain high-profile international attention and produce obvious casualties, was a twin bombing on 3 January 2024 against a gathering of Iranians mourning the death of former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force (QF) commander, Qasem Soleimani , at his grave in Kerman , Iran. The bloody attack killed 96, and injured 284. ISIS-K's fourth and most high-profile external operation
12348-670: The attack, the Taliban announced that they would curtail the operations of ISIS–K and capture its leader Shahab al-Muhajir . On 6 September 2022, the Human Rights Watch reported that since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, the ISIS–K has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Hazaras and has been linked to at least 3 more, killing and injuring at least 700 people. The Islamic State affiliate has repeatedly attacked Hazaras and other religious minorities at mosques, schools, and workplaces. ISIS–K claimed responsibility for
12495-428: The attack. On 26 August 2021, an ISIS–K suicide bomber attacked Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul , killing over 170 people, including 28 Taliban members and 13 U.S. military personnel. Amidst the Taliban advance on Kabul in preceding weeks, hundreds to thousands of ISIS–K prisoners had been released or otherwise escaped from detention, leading to U.S. fears of attacks on the airport and future targets. After
12642-561: The attack. Shortly after the attack against Uzbekistan, on 7 May, ISIS–K conducted its second external operation against Tajikistan. According to ISIS-Central's an-Naba newsletter's 338th issue, the group launched seven rockets from a Katyusha launcher from the Afghan-Tajik border in Takhar Province targeting the "headquarters of the apostate Tajik army." Similar to its rocket attack against Uzbekistan, ISIS-Central published an account of
12789-415: The attention of jihadists from the Afghan jihad to the Levant . With jihadist groups flocking to take part in the conflict, al-Qaeda's branches in Afghanistan and Pakistan began lobbying to send groups of fighters to join the Syrian jihad, a measure to demonstrate to the world that al-Qaeda was still actively involved in a global jihad, especially as donor states' interest in the Afghan jihad faded in favor of
12936-423: The beginning of 2005". According to Mohammed M. Hafez, in Iraq jihadi salafi are pursuing a "system-collapse strategy" whose goal is to install an "Islamic emirate based on Salafi dominance, similar to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan." In addition to occupation/coalition personnel they target mainly Iraqi security forces and Shia civilians, but also "foreign journalists, translators and transport drivers and
13083-468: The boundaries of the Levant as follows. A distinction is made between the main subregions of the Levant, the northern and the southern: The island of Cyprus is also included as a third subregion in the archaeological region of the Levant: The vast majority of Levantines are Muslims . After the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 7th century, Islam was first introduced into the region. However,
13230-475: The broader Muslim community and as a distraction from the studying and practicing of Islam. Prominent Quietist Salafi scholars have denounced doctrines of Salafi jihadism as Bid'ah ("innovation") and "heretical", strongly forbidding Muslims from participating or assisting in any armed underground activity against ruling governments. Jihadist salafists often dismiss the quietist scholars as "'sheikist" traitors, portraying them as palace scholars worried about
13377-693: The complete separation between the Muslim and the non-Muslim, by propagating Al Wala' Wal Bara' and declaring takfir against any Muslim who (they believe) is a mushrik (polytheist) and does not return to the observance of tawhid and the strict literal interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah as followed by Muhammad and his companions (Sahaba). In Syria and Iraq both Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS have been described as Salafist-jihadist. Jabhat al-Nusra has been described as possessing "a hard-line Salafi-Jihadist ideology" and being one of "the most effective" groups fighting
13524-516: The contemporary Salafi-Jihadist movement. Other leading figures in the movement include Anwar al-Awlaki , former leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) ; Abu Bakar Bashir , leader of the banned Indonesian militant group ( Jema'ah Islamiyah ); Nasir al-Fahd , Saudi Arabian Salafi-Jihadist scholar who opposes the Saudi state, and reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS ; Mohammed Yusuf ,
13671-527: The country's northern neighbors of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan . In January 2024, two ISIS–K attackers carried out twin suicide bombings in Kerman , Iran , during a procession mourning the US assassination of Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani , killing 94. In March 2024, four Tajik ISIS–K gunmen launched an attack on a concert hall in Krasnogorsk , Russia , with rifles and incendiaries, killing 145 and marking
13818-463: The dispatch of Afghan and Pakistani militants from al-Qaeda -aligned groups to the Syrian civil war , who returned to the region with instructions and funding to recruit fighters for a branch of the Islamic State in the Khorasan region. The group's traditional base of power began and remains in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan , recruiting from former dissatisfied fighters and dissenters of
13965-655: The economic and physical infrastructure of Iraq." Salafist jihadist groups include Al Qaeda , the now defunct Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA), and the Egyptian group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya which still exists. In the Algerian Civil War 1992–1998, the GIA was one of the two major Islamist armed groups (the other being the Armee Islamique du Salut or AIS) fighting the Algerian army and security forces. The GIA included veterans of
14112-417: The economic resources of the territories under its control, emphasizing a dynamic financial strategy tailored to the circumstances of each region. ISIS–K actively seeks external funding from sympathetic patrons, including wealthy individuals from Gulf countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Donations from these sources, coupled with collaborations with individuals willing to contribute resources, constitute
14259-539: The founder of the Nigerian Boko Haram ; Omar Bakri Muhammad , Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , leader of terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Levant ; etc. Murad al-Shishani of The Jamestown Foundation states there have been three generations of Salafi-jihadists: those waging jihad in Afghanistan , Bosnia and Iraq . As of the mid-2000s, Arab fighters in Iraq were "the latest and most important development of
14406-485: The global Salafi-jihadi movement". These fighters were usually not Iraqis, but volunteers who had come to Iraq from other countries, mainly Saudi Arabia . Unlike in earlier Salafi jihadi actions, Egyptians "are no longer the chief ethnic group". According to Bruce Livesey Salafist jihadists are currently a "burgeoning presence in Europe, having attempted more than 30 terrorist attacks among EU countries" from September 2001 to
14553-447: The group became part of Ayman al-Zawahiri 's campaign against the United States, becoming known as al-Qaeda in Iraq or AQI. Under the 2007 surge of American troops in Iraq, AQI was diminished until 2011 when the group newly under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , began to reemerge and spread into the nascent Syrian civil war . Capturing a number of cities in Iraq and Syria, notably Raqqa, Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit, Ramadi, Aleppo,
14700-538: The group's first attack beyond Afghanistan's neighbors. In June 2024, US officials arrested 8 Tajik men in Los Angeles , New York , and Philadelphia , who were reportedly involved in an ISIS–K plot within the United States, with connections to a larger ISIS–K cell being monitored in Central Europe . All eight were said to have entered the United States illegally across the U.S. border with Mexico . ISIS–K began with
14847-562: The groups began to form larger organizations and coalesce around a few key commanders. These groups were Tehrik-e Khilafat Khorasan (TKK), Khilafat Afghan and Muslim Dost's group, Azizullah Haqqani's group, and Tehrik-e Khilafat Pakistan (TKP), the first three of which existed in Afghanistan and TKP in Pakistan. In January 2015, the three groups, varyingly recruiting from the Afghan Taliban , Haqqani network , and Pakistani Taliban , merged into
14994-718: The island of Cyprus in Levantine studies, including the Council for British Research in the Levant , the UCLA Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department, Journal of Levantine Studies and the UCL Institute of Archaeology, the last of which has dated the connection between Cyprus and mainland Levant to the early Iron Age . Archaeologists seeking a neutral orientation that is neither biblical nor national have used terms such as Levantine archaeology and archaeology of
15141-454: The jihad had compelled the Soviet military to abandon its mission in Afghanistan, some mujahideen called for the expansion of their operations to include Islamist struggles in other parts of the world, and Al Qaeda was formed by bin Laden on August 11, 1988. Members were to making a pledge ( bayat ) to follow one's superiors. Al-Qaeda emphasized jihad against the "far enemy", by which it meant
15288-564: The jihadi guys who will feed you more savory propaganda than the old propaganda of the Salafists who tell you to pray, fast and who are not taking action". In the 1990s, militant Islamists of the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya were active in the terrorist attacks on police, government officials, and foreign tourists in Egypt, and the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria was a principal extremist group in
15435-634: The kidnapping and killing of Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni in Hamas -controlled Gaza Strip . In the North Caucasus region of Russia, the Caucasus Emirate replaced the nationalism of Muslim Chechnya and Dagestan with a hard-line Salafist-takfiri jihadist ideology. They are immensely focused on upholding the concept of tawhid (purist monotheism), and fiercely reject any practice of shirk , taqlid , ijtihad and bid‘ah . They also believe in
15582-416: The lands of the Khorasan region include northeastern Iran , most of Afghanistan, and the southern areas of Central Asia . The Greater Khorasan region is not to be confused with similarly named North , South , and Razavi (Central) Khorasan Provinces of modern Iran. ISIS–K's first wali , Hafiz Saeed Khan , in a 2016 interview featured in the Islamic State's 13th issue of the magazine Dabiq , described
15729-530: The larger Islamic State – Khorasan Province with Hafiz Saeed Khan as its wali , and was formally announced by ISIS-Central's chief spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnan on 26 January 2015. Interviews with ISIS–K leaders suggest that it was from that day forward that members of these formerly separate groups all began to refer to themselves as Daesh, Daesh Khorasan, or Khilafat Islami with a strong discouragement for any continued insinuation of separate groups. One ISIS–K member, formerly of Khilafat Afghan remarked "My boss
15876-639: The larger organization's 'Raid of Revenge for the Two Sheikhs', in which a number of its subordinate provinces conducted a cumulative 245 attacks between 17 April and 1 May in stated revenge for the 3 February 2022 U.S. counterterrorism operation killing ISIS's caliph (and successor to the recently killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ) Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and the November 2021 U.S. airstrike killing ISIS chief spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi . The Uzbek Ministry of Defense and Afghan Taliban both denied reports of
16023-603: The main intellectual doctrine for the Muslim Brotherhood , which later be adopted by most terrorist organizations worldwide. Qutbism doctrine of Islam interpretation emphasizes how the secular, infidel Muslim leaders and populations have fallen to imitating the western way of life, and that before any prosperity would occur, the Muslim world must revert to the Caliphate -age Shari'ah Law instead of "Man-made laws". He issued ideological & religious debates stating that
16170-466: The model of Khulafa Rashidun . Rida's ideas would set the foundations of future Salafi-Jihadist movements and greatly influence Islamists like Hasan al-Banna , Sayyid Qutb , and other Islamic fundamentalist figures. Rashid Rida fervently opposed Western ideas and foreign influences, and his activities were focused on overturning the encroachment of secular laws across the Muslim World following
16317-555: The newly ordained ISIS–K forged significant alliances with other Sunni jihadist movements in the region to include the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Islamic Movement of Turkmenistan (IMT), Uyghur East Turkestan Islamic Party (ETIP), Jamaat Ansarullah , Harakat Islami Tajikistan , and the Islamic Jihad Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IJRPT), Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin , and Baluchi militant groups including
16464-648: The north. Two minority languages are recognized: Armenian , and Cypriot Maronite Arabic , a hybrid of mostly medieval Arabic vernaculars with strong influence from contact with Turkish and Greek, spoken by approximately 1,000 people. Western Neo-Aramaic is additionally spoken in three villages in Syria: Maaloula , Jubb'adin and Bakhah . Among diaspora communities based in the Levant, Greek , Armenian and Circassian are also spoken. According to recent ancient DNA studies, Levantines derive most of their ancestry from ancient Semitic-speaking peoples of
16611-566: The operation, one official of the Balochistan Constabulary was killed and eight others from the Counter Terrorism Department were injured. On 26 April 2017, a joint raid operation committed by U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan Special Forces in the Nangarhar Province resulted in the death of Sheikh Abdul Hasib, the leader of IS in Afghanistan. Along with Hasib, a number of other commanders of IS were killed according to
16758-521: The organization's expansion attracted various other militant groups, including many from Afghanistan's geographic periphery. Notable among these are the Omar Ghazi Group, Shamali Khilafat, Gansu Hui Group, Harakat Khilafat Baluch, Jaysh ul Islam, Mullah Bakhtwar's group, the Shamsatoo group, and radical student groups in Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Beyond the incorporation of smaller militant groups,
16905-410: The participation in democratic systems across the world to Islamize the political order through the existing structures. These revolutionary Islamist doctrines advocating violent overthrow of the existing political order, is seen as heretical by Quietist Salafis. Salafi jihadists distinguish themselves from Quietist salafis whom they label "sheikist", so named because – the jihadists believe – that
17052-485: The patronage of "the oil sheiks of the Arabian peninsula " rather than pure Islam, and contend that they are not dividing the Muslim community because, in their view, the rulers of Muslim-majority countries and other self-proclaimed Muslims they attack are not actually part of the community, having deviated from Islam and become apostates or false Muslims . Early ideologues of the movement were Arab Afghan veterans of
17199-673: The portion of the Liguria coast east of Genoa ), in Hungarian Kelet ('east'), in Spanish and Catalan Levante and Llevant , ('the place of rising'), and in Hebrew מִזְרָח mizraḥ ('east'). Most notably, "Orient" and its Latin source oriens meaning 'east', is literally "rising", deriving from Latin orior 'rise'. The notion of the Levant has undergone a dynamic process of historical evolution in usage, meaning, and understanding. While
17346-461: The precursors of contemporary Salafi-Jihadist movements. The theological doctrines of the Syrian -Egyptian Islamic scholar Sayyid Rashid Rida (1865–1935 CE) greatly influenced these movements. Amongst his notable ideas included reviving the traditions of the early Muslim generations ( Salaf ) as well ridding the Islamic World of Western influences and Jahiliyya by specifically looking up to
17493-655: The raid. On a confessional statement released by ISPR , Noreen confessed to joining IS through a terrorist she met on social media , She also told authorities that she was recruited by IS to attack a church in Lahore on the Easter Sunday, two suicide jackets, four hand grenades and bullets were provided to them. On 4 September 2019, in a joint operation of Counter Terrorism Department , FIA and Balochistan Constabulary at least 6 ISIS militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Quetta's Eastern Bypass area. During
17640-650: The ranks of Afghans and Pakistanis in ISIS grew massively with at least 1,000 volunteers deployed by TTP alone. Likely appreciative of the volunteer fighters supplied by groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the ISIS Military Commission in Syria offered ten TTP and Taliban volunteer group leaders, from Saeed Khan's first dispatch, $ 1 million to proselytize for the movement when they returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beginning in November 2013, these group leaders began approaching members of each militant group including
17787-424: The reason why the term Levant has come to be used more specifically to refer to modern Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and the island of Cyprus . Some scholars mistakenly believed that it derives from the name of Lebanon. Today the term is often used in conjunction with prehistoric or ancient historical references. Another term for "Syria-Palestine" is Ash- Shaam ( Arabic : ٱلشَّام , /ʔaʃ.ʃaːm/ ),
17934-623: The regime. Writing after ISIS victories in Iraq, Hassan Hassan believes ISIS is a reflection of "ideological shakeup of Sunni Islam's traditional Salafism" since the Arab Spring, where salafism, "traditionally inward-looking and loyal to the political establishment", has "steadily, if slowly", been eroded by Salafism-jihadism. Boko Haram in Nigeria is a Salafi jihadism group that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 2.3 million from their homes, In France, in 2015 police say that salafism
18081-403: The region of Khorasan and its significance: Wilāyat Khurāsān has great importance to Islam and the Muslims. It had once been under the authority of the Muslims, along with the regions surrounding it. Afterwards, the secularist and Rāfidī [rejectionists, Shia] murtaddīn [apostates] conquered some of these regions, and the cow-worshipping Hindus and atheist Chinese conquered other nearby regions, as
18228-702: The religious faith of Muslims through teaching and devout adherence to Islamic decrees. Additionally, they advocated Salafism to remain uncontaminated from politics. However, a minority sought the establishment of an Islamic system through violent means, based on Sayyid Qutb's concepts of Hakimiyya (Sovereignty of God). They advocated a global Jihad, with clear political overtones, to fight for Muslim liberation across national boundaries. This movement came to be known as Salafi-Jihadism. Groups like Takfir wal-Hijra , who kidnapped and murdered an Egyptian ex-government minister in 1978, also inspired some of "the tactics and methods" used by Al Qaeda. Gilles Kepel writes that
18375-552: The rising of the Sun in the east, and is broadly equivalent to the term al-Mashriq ( Arabic : ٱلْمَشْرِق , [ʔal.maʃ.riq] ), meaning "the eastern place, where the Sun rises". In 1581, England set up the Levant Company to trade with the Ottoman Empire . The name Levant States was used to refer to the French mandate over Syria and Lebanon after World War I . This is probably
18522-499: The round breasts, the full buttocks, and in the shapely thighs, sleek legs – and she shows all this and does not hide it. On 29 August 1966, Sayyid Qutb was executed by hanging by Egyptian president's Gamal Abdel-Nasser 's regime for his alleged role in the president's assassination plot. This would later paint him as an Islamic martyr or shahid (he is often called "Shahid Sayyid Qutb" or Sayyid Qutb al-Shahid by admirers) among supporters & Islamist circles, particularly as
18669-512: The sacred texts in their most literal form, ... with an absolute commitment to jihad, whose number-one target had to be America, perceived as the greatest enemy of the faith." 13th-century Hanbalite jurist Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (1328 C.E/ 728 A.H), a maverick cleric known for his fierce anti-Mongol stances, is the most authoritative classical theologian in Salafi-jihadist discourse. According to Mohammed M. Hafez, contemporary jihadi Salafism
18816-581: The secular and Western-allied governments in the Arab World , until the restoration of Islamic rule . Sayyid Qutb's brother, Muhammad Qutb was one of Osama bin Laden’s teachers at university. Sayyid Qutb has been described as "Al-Qaeda's Philosopher". Ayman al Zawahiri , the Egyptian who was second in command and co-founder of Al-Qaeda , called Qutb, "the most prominent theoretician of the fundamentalist movements". In his writings, both before and after joining
18963-717: The struggle against NATO forces in Afghanistan and not on other Central Asian jihadist movements . ISIS–K's perceived influence in Central Asian nations was an important driver for many Sunni Muslim donors in the Arabian Gulf who financially supported ISIS–K as a counterbalance to the threat of Russian anti-Islamic influence in the former Soviet Central Asian states. On 15 May 2019, ISIS declared new 'Pakistan Province' and 'India Province' branches after claiming attacks in Balochistan and Kashmir , respectively. This suggests that while
19110-433: The surging ISIS campaign in Syria. Although al-Qaeda -linked Afghan and Pakistani jihadists had traveled to fight in the Levant as early as 2003, most groups had been small in number and quickly integrated into assorted ISIS units. On 14 July 2012, Hafiz Saeed Khan , a prominent Pakistani Taliban (TTP) leader, agreed to rapidly assemble a group of 143 Afghan and Pakistani volunteer fighters for al-Qaeda to dispatch to join
19257-621: The term ash-Shām as used by the organization known as ISIL, ISIS, and other names , though there is disagreement as to whether this translation is accurate. In The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000–332 BCE (OHAL; 2013), the definition of the Levant for the specific purposes of the book is synonymous to that of the Arabic " bilad al-sham , 'the land of sham [Syria]'", translating in Western parlance to greater Syria . OHAL defines
19404-533: The term "Levantine" originally referred to the European residents of the eastern Mediterranean region, it later came to refer to regional "native" and "minority" groups. The term became current in English in the 16th century, along with the first English merchant adventurers in the region; English ships appeared in the Mediterranean in the 1570s, and the English merchant company signed its agreement (" capitulations ") with
19551-480: The term 'Daesh' to describe the movement, despite the derogatory connotations the term carries in Arabic-speaking Iraq and Syria. The term ' Wilayah ', translated as 'Province' comes from the Arabic term for an administrative subdivision , led by a wali (governor). The Islamic State likely favors the term for its significance as the primary subdivision of historic Islamic caliphates . The Islamic State uses
19698-514: The term Levant to identify the region due to its being a "wider, yet relevant, cultural corpus" that does not have the "political overtones" of Syria-Palestine. The term is also used for modern events, peoples, states or parts of states in the same region, namely Cyprus , Egypt , Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , Palestine , Syria , and Turkey are sometimes considered Levant countries (compare with Near East , Middle East , Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia ). Several researchers include
19845-586: The term Wilayat in each of its province's formal names, Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), for example. The term ' Khorasan ' refers to the concept of Greater Khorasan , a historical eastern region of the Iranian Plateau between Western and Central Asia. Khorasan was first established as a region under the Persian Sasanian Empire and expanded under the Umayyad Caliphate . Today,
19992-572: The theological framework of future militants who would eventually establish the Salafi-Jihadi movement. Fore-runners of Salafi jihadism principally includes Egyptian militant Islamist scholar and theoretician Sayyid Qutb , who developed "the intellectual underpinnings", in the 1950s, for what would later become the doctrine of most Jihadist organizations around the world, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS . Going radically further than his predecessors, Qutb called upon Muslims to form an ideologically committed vanguard that would wage armed Jihad against
20139-435: The time, commanders found it fairly easy to motivate fighters to join the fight in Syria, as most assumed their former organization would eventually sign a peace deal with the Afghan or Pakistani government, and because the money was more attractive than the region's faltering Taliban donors. One senior ISIS–K member noted in June 2015 "many Arab countries support Daesh: Saudi Arabia , Qatar , UAE , and others. They also have
20286-447: The trial was alleged to be a show trial . Qutb wrote his major Islamist works (a commentary of the Qur'an, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an), and a manifesto of political Islam called Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq ( Milestones ), while incarcerated and allegedly tortured. This, alongside his allegedly extrajudicial execution, elevated the value of these two major writings, giving his radical, violent Islamist doctrine in his writings
20433-399: The two major groups within the jihadi Salafi camp" in Iraq were the Mujahidin Shura Council and the Ansar al Sunna Group. There are also a number of small jihadist Salafist groups in Azerbaijan . The group leading the Islamist insurgency in Southern Thailand in 2006 by carrying out most of the attacks and cross-border operations, BRN-Koordinasi , favours Salafi ideology. It works in
20580-400: The varieties normally grouped together as "Levantine", a number of other varieties and dialects of Arabic are spoken in the Levant area, such as Levantine Bedawi Arabic (by Bedouins ) and Mesopotamian Arabic (in eastern Syria). Of the languages of Cyprus , the two official languages are Turkish and Greek. The most used languages by population are Greek in the south followed by Turkish in
20727-448: The violent means are justifiable under Islamic Law for an end as great as returning the Islamic State "days of glory", and these means are often leading a victorious violent holy war ( Jihad ) against the West . A part of his writings which have influenced Islamists and terrorist organizations on the nature of The West, can be found in his book " The America that I Have Seen ", which he wrote immediately after returning to Egypt from
20874-405: The west and core West Asia , or by the political term, Middle East to the east . In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is equivalent to Cyprus and a stretch of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia: i.e. the historical region of Syria ("Greater Syria"), which includes present-day Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , Syria ,
21021-558: The works of Sayyid Qutb and adopted concepts of Al-Wala wal Bara from his writings. Maqdisi’s interpretation of Al-Wala wal Bara marked a distinct shift from traditional Salafi theology by introducing Takfiri principles to it. Adopting a binary world-view, Maqdisi excommunicated contemporary governments in the Muslim World and their collaborators as apostates. Salafi Jihadists also reject democracy as it contradicts their interpretation of Hakimiyya . Salafi Islamists , while supporting revolutions to topple authoritarian regimes, permit
21168-423: Was a 22 March 2024 attack by four Tajik gunmen against Russian civilians in the Crocus City Hall attack . The attack, claimed by ISIS–K, killed 145 and injured 551 and marked the deadliest attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004, and it is also the deadliest ever Islamic State attack on European soil to this day, closely followed by the 2015 Paris attacks. Putin and the Russian security service,
21315-411: Was appalled by what he perceived as loose sexual openness of American men and women. Qutb noted with disapproval the openly displayed sexuality of American women stating in the same influential book The America that I Have Seen : the American girl is well acquainted with her body's seductive capacity. She knows it lies in the face, and in expressive eyes, and thirsty lips. She knows seductiveness lies in
21462-418: Was dropped in an airstrike on a cave complex in Achin District , Nangarhar Province , Afghanistan . It was the first use of the bomb on the battlefield. The Afghan defense ministry reported it to have killed over 36 militants and destroyed the tunnel complex including a cache of weapons. No civilian casualties were reported. On 14 April 2017, Pakistan's security agencies along with the local police raided
21609-407: Was too soon to discount it as a threat. Although in territorial retreat, IS in Afghanistan could carry out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul . On 24 January 2018, militants launched a bomb and gun attack on a Save the Children office in Jalalabad , killing six people and injuring 27. ISIS–K claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting Western institutions. In
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