ISIS-K Recruiting CIS Citizens, Transforming Afghanistan into Terror Export Hub

The Vilayat Khorasan branch of the Islamic State is actively recruiting individuals from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) into its ranks. This development underscores that Afghanistan under Taliban rule is not just a conflict zone but also an emerging hub for terrorist recruitment, radicalization, and transnational operations.

Alexander Bortnikov, Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), stated at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services that Vilayat Khorasan is recruiting militants from other terrorist organizations and supporters from citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. He also noted that migrant workers in Russia are being targeted.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, conspiracy-based terrorist networks are being established in CIS countries, resource channels are being set up, and several terrorist attacks are being planned. The FSB, along with its colleagues from Tajikistan, identified and neutralized a terrorist cell earlier this year that was planning high-profile attacks.

In cooperation with the State Security Service of Uzbekistan, five terrorist attacks in various regions of Russia, including Moscow, were thwarted. Bortnikov emphasized the importance of developing counterterrorism contacts with Afghanistan.

The expansion of terrorist cells, clandestine financing channels, and attack planning structures across CIS states reflects the widening footprint of the Afghanistan-based militant ecosystem operating under a Taliban-controlled environment. Russian cooperation with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to disrupt multiple planned attacks highlights how threats incubated in Afghanistan are translating into real-world terrorism across Eurasia.

Security analysts note that Afghanistan is increasingly functioning as a regional hub for extremist mobilization, manpower generation, and cross-border terrorist networking. With estimates of 20,000-23,000 terrorists, including ISIS-K, TTP, Al-Qaeda, ETIM, and affiliated networks, the Taliban-controlled environment in Afghanistan risks becoming a principal global launchpad for ISIS-K expansion, terrorist recruitment, and transnational jihadist operations.