Anna Evstigneeva, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, warned of a “clear risk” that terrorism could spill over from Afghanistan into Central Asia and beyond, raising concerns about the growing threat posed by the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Evstigneeva said the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-K) is increasingly active and dangerous, recruiting foreign fighters and exploiting weapons left behind by Western forces following their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Her remarks were echoed in a summary released by the United Nations, which noted that terrorist groups — including IS and Al Qaeda — are making use of new technologies to pursue “dangerous objectives,” including recruitment, financing and operations planning.
Russia has consistently voiced alarm over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the potential for those groups to destabilize neighboring states.
Taliban have rejected reports that Al Qaeda and IS-K operate in Afghanistan, maintaining that their forces have contained all terrorist activity. However, a UN monitoring team reported in September that hundreds of fighters affiliated with both groups remain active in Afghanistan.
The Security Council session also featured updates from the chairs of its counter-terrorism committees, who emphasized the evolving nature of global extremist threats and called for increased international cooperation, particularly in light of groups’ expanding use of artificial intelligence, social media and cryptocurrencies.
