UN Security Council to Address ISIS Threats from Afghanistan

The United Nations Security Council is set to convene on Monday, February 10, to discuss the escalating threat posed by ISIS in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, Afghanistan International reported. The meeting will focus on a report from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which outlines the ongoing dangers from ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

Distributed to Security Council members on January 31, the report emphasizes that ISIS-K remains a significant threat both within and beyond Afghanistan. It highlights the group’s considerable propaganda reach and substantial financial resources, estimating around $10 million in funds from Iraq and Syria.

The report also notes a recent ISIS suicide attack in Afghanistan that killed Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees. This incident, which occurred on December 11, 2024, at the Ministry of Refugees in Kabul, was seen as a challenge to the Taliban’s assertions of maintaining security in the country. ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the attack.

ISIS-K, the Afghanistan-based ISIS branch, has been active since 2015 and seeks to establish a global caliphate.