Afghanistan emerging as ‘terror exporter’ as IS-K boosts Central Asian recruitment: Russian FSB

WEB DESK: Afghanistan is rapidly transforming into a regional launchpad for transnational terrorism under Taliban rule, with the Vilayat Khorasan branch of the Islamic State (IS-K) actively recruiting across Central Asia and targeting migrant networks within Russia, Moscow’s top security official has warned.

Speaking at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services, the Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, stated that the terror outfit is aggressively drawing recruits from various Central Asian republics to fortify its operational capabilities, according to The Express Tribune.

“Vilayat Khorasan is actively recruiting militants from other terrorist organisations now, supporters from citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, as well as migrant workers in Russia,” Bortnikov was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency, TASS.

The FSB chief cautioned that clandestine terrorist networks are establishing deep-rooted resource channels and planning coordinated attacks across the region. He noted that collaborative intelligence operations had recently dismantled several high-profile plots. In tandem with Tajikistan’s security apparatus, the FSB neutralised a cell planning major offensives earlier this year. Furthermore, cooperation with the State Security Service of Uzbekistan successfully thwarted five separate terrorist attacks in the planning stages across various Russian regions, including Moscow.

In light of the escalating threat matrix, Bortnikov underscored the critical necessity of fostering robust counter-terrorism contacts with Afghanistan to mitigate cross-border security deficits.

A burgeoning regional hub

Independent security analysts have long warned that the widening footprint of the Afghanistan-based militant ecosystem points to a broader systemic crisis. The recruitment drive stretching into migrant communities inside Russia underscores how the country has transitioned from a localized conflict zone into a strategic nexus for extremist mobilisation and manpower generation.

“These warnings align with successive UN Monitoring Team, SIGAR, Russian and regional assessments identifying Afghanistan as a sanctuary for over 20 terrorist organisations and 20,000–23,000 terrorists, including IS-K, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM),” an Islamabad-based security analyst observed.

With IS-K strength estimated between 2,000 to 3,000 fighters, and the TTP maintaining a formidable presence of 5,000 to 7,000 militants, experts argue that the Taliban-controlled territory is steadily evolving into an operational ecosystem for an Afghan terror franchise.

The analyst warned that the threat vector is no longer confined within Afghanistan’s geographical borders.

Instead, the country risks cementing its position as the principal global launchpad for IS-K expansion, ideological radicalisation, and transnational jihadist operations, presenting an immediate security challenge to Eurasia and the wider international community.