Explainer: What is ISIS-K?
ISIS-K is believed to be behind two explosions at the airport in Kabul, which killed several people and injured dozens.
What is ISIS-K?
ISIS-Khorasan is a branch of the terror group that first emerged in Syria and Iraq. While the affiliates share an ideology and tactics, the depth of their relationship with regards to organization and command and control has never been entirely established.
Who are the people in ISIS-K?
U.S. intelligence officials previously told CNN the ISIS-K membership includes "a small number of veteran jihadists from Syria and other foreign terrorist fighters," saying that the U.S. had identified 10 to 15 of their top operatives in Afghanistan. The group's name comes from its terminology for the area that includes Afghanistan and Pakistan: "Khorasan."
Where is ISIS-K located?
The group has built up a presence in eastern Afghanistan in recent years, especially in the provinces of Nangahar and Kunar. Last August, the group attacked the main prison in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangahar, in an effort to free dozens of their supporters who had been captured by the Afghan army and police.
In May this year, ISIS-K attacked a school for girls in Kabul and killed at least 68 people, wounding more than than 165, most of them girls, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment cited by the inspector general. And in June at least 10 people were killed and 16 others wounded in an attack on the British-American HALO Trust demining charity. ISIS-Khorasan claimed responsibility for the assault on the camp in northeastern Baghlan Province.