ISIS-K Shares Selfie of Attackers Allegedly Involved in Moscow Terror Attack

Moscow – A day after a devastating terror attack in Moscow led to the death of at least 133 people, the Islamic State published a photograph of the four attackers who were allegedly involved in the attack. According to The Telegraph, the terror group stated that these attackers “dealt a strong blow to Russia with a bloody attack” and mentioned how the group planned and conducted the assault in the Russian capital. The picture was released by Islamic State’s official news agency Amaq in which the four men were seen wearing black baseball caps and face scarfs.

The four men were also seen pointing towards the sky with one finger, a gesture that has become associated with the Islamic State and refers to the Muslim belief that there is only one god. In the background of the photograph, there is a poster of ISIS with the group's name written in black and white. In the statement, the group claimed that the men carried out an “ intensive monitoring operation” before the attack. The group also stated that the four men were armed with machine guns, knives and bombs and mentioned that the main aim of the attack was to ”inflict as much damage as possible on the large crowd of Christians”.

After it was announced that the four suspects were arrested following the attack, the Russian media mentioned that the attack suspects were from Tajikistan where ISIS has an active presence. The United States eventually specified that the attackers belonged to the Islamic State-Khorasan or ISIS-K. The ISIS-K is an offshoot branch of the terror group which is active in countries like  Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

What is ISIS-K? 

The group is named after the erstwhile Khorasan region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. According to The Telegraph, the group was born in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality. In its initial days, the group had wide-ranging priorities, including toppling the Pakistani government, punishing the Iranian government for supporting the Shia Muslim world, and to “purify” Afghanistan, including by pushing out the Taliban as the main jihadi movement. However, the group has seen its membership declining since 2018, with Taliban and the US forces inflicting heavy losses. 

Why did ISIS-K attack Russia? 

In the past, the group has blamed Russia for killing Muslims after Moscow's interventions in Afghanistan, Syria and Chechnya. Some experts believe that the group has particular issues with the Putin administration as well. “ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,” frequently criticising President Vladimir Putin in its propaganda," said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a security consulting firm based in New York. “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria," Clarke added.