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KABUL – The United Nations has sounded a powerful alarm over the growing influence of the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K), warning that the extremist network remains one of the world’s most dangerous transnational threats.
Speaking at a high-level Security Council session, UN counter-terrorism officials stressed that ISIS-K continues to expand far beyond Afghanistan, targeting Europe and Central Asia through advanced recruitment tactics and clandestine financing channels. The group has increasingly relied on artificial intelligence, encrypted platforms, and multilingual social media campaigns to radicalize young people and attract funding from sympathizers abroad.
Investigations show that ISIS-K’s financial pipelines are becoming more sophisticated, with digital asset platforms and underground hawala networks funneling money through hubs such as Turkey and Yemen before being redirected to operations in Europe and beyond. Officials warned that these funding streams allow the group to plan and execute attacks with alarming precision.
The UN highlighted the Moscow concert hall massacre earlier this year as a devastating example of ISIS-K’s external operations, underscoring that the group has both the intent and the capability to strike far beyond its base in Afghanistan. Officials noted that its presence poses “a serious and evolving threat to global security,” urging countries to remain vigilant.
Security experts cautioned that ISIS-K is exploiting instability in conflict zones, weaponizing modern technologies, and using disinformation campaigns to strengthen its influence. Its growing reach, they said, could destabilize entire regions if left unchecked.
The UN called for a coordinated international response, including stronger intelligence-sharing, enhanced cyber defenses, disruption of illicit financing, and the development of counter-narratives capable of neutralizing extremist propaganda online. Without swift and united action, officials warned, ISIS-K could expand its operational footprint and trigger new waves of violence in Europe, Central Asia, and beyond.
