78-611: The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast ( MOAB , / ˈ m oʊ æ b / , colloquially explained as " mother of all bombs ") is a large-yield bomb, developed for the United States military by Albert L. Weimorts, Jr. of the Air Force Research Laboratory . It was first tested in 2003. At the time of development, it was said to be the most powerful non- nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. The bomb
156-477: A GBU-43/B MOAB was dropped in an airstrike on a cave complex in Achin District , Nangarhar Province , Afghanistan . It was the first use of the bomb on the battlefield. The Afghan defense ministry reported it to have killed over 36 militants and destroyed the tunnel complex including a cache of weapons. No civilian casualties were reported. On 14 April 2017, Pakistan's security agencies along with
234-553: A JUI (F) rally. While the majority of ISIS–K attacks occur in eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province , since April 2022, ISIS–K has expanded to conduct external operations beyond its traditional area of operations. In April and May 2022, respectively, ISIS–K launched rockets from Afghan territory into the country's northern neighbors of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan . In January 2024, two ISIS–K attackers carried out twin suicide bombings in Kerman , Iran , during
312-646: A base of operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1988. In response to failed negotiations with the Taliban following the September 11th 2001 attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States, the U.S. overthrew the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and launched a military campaign against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who fought to reclaim the country. The insurgent conflict became a focal point for jihadism in
390-525: A branch of the Islamic State in the Khorasan region. The group's traditional base of power began and remains in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan , recruiting from former dissatisfied fighters and dissenters of the Taliban as well as individuals from South and South East Asia. Due in part to the contentious and fluid naming pattern of the larger Islamic State organization, ISIS–K
468-605: A caliphate in Iraq and Syria, al-Baghdadi (caliph of ISIS), Muslim Turkmani (deputy emir), and Abu Omar al-Shishani (senior commander in Raqqa ) had been strongly advocating that the volunteers set up a new branch (wilayah) in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the territories of Iran and Central Asia as later goals. On 3 April 2014, al-Shishani appointed Qari Wali Rahman, an Afghan from Baghlan , who had been fighting in Syria since 2013, to be
546-425: A consistent inflow of funds, showcasing the interconnected nature of various ISIS factions. While the exact mechanisms of this financial relationship remain undisclosed, it is evident that support from ISIS-Central plays a pivotal role in strengthening ISIS–K's operational capacity. This internal funding stream highlighted the cohesive financial structure within the broader Islamic State. Controlled territories became
624-497: A deep canyon or within a cave system . High altitude carpet-bombing with much smaller 500-to-2,000-pound (230 to 910 kg) bombs delivered via heavy bombers such as the B-52 , B-2 , or the B-1 is also highly effective at covering large areas. The MOAB is designed to be used against a specific target, and cannot by itself replicate the effects of a typical heavy bomber mission. During
702-453: A drone attack against a suspected Islamic State bomber in Kabul killed a family of nine, including six children. ISIS–K sustains its operations through a complex financing structure that draws on diverse sources. ISIS–K has benefitted significantly from financial support originating from the broader ISIS network, particularly from the central leadership. This internal coordination allows for
780-590: A funeral in Kuz Kunar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. The U.S. government said that ISIS–K conducted the May 2020 Afghanistan attacks , not the Taliban, but this assertion was rejected by the republican Afghan government . On 2 November 2020, more than 32 people were killed and 50 others injured in an attack on Kabul University . The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for
858-417: A key source of revenue for ISIS–K through the implementation of a taxation system. The group levies taxes on local populations and businesses, demonstrating a degree of financial autonomy within its operational zones. This strategy allowed ISIS–K to extract resources directly from the communities it governed, contributing to its self-sufficiency. The local taxation approach reflects the group's ability to exploit
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#1732772771234936-527: A lack of old parts, price inflation, and new design and testing. On 13 April 2017, a MOAB was dropped on an Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) cave complex in Achin District , Nangarhar Province , Afghanistan . It was the first operational use of the bomb. Two days later, an Afghan army spokesman said that the strike killed 94 ISKP militants, including four commanders, with no signs of civilian casualties. However, an Afghan parliamentarian from Nangarhar province, Esmatullah Shinwari, said locals told him
1014-468: A lot of natural resources under their control, like oil wells." Beginning in mid-2013, the groups' leaders began to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , the caliph of the Islamic State, though it remains unclear how the militant's original organizations viewed these newly sworn allegiances or if others opted to remain loyal to al-Qaida's al-Nusra Front. Through early 2014, even before the Islamic State would officially separate from al-Qaeda and declare
1092-538: A month, four times that of Taliban fighters. Most importantly, these jihadist units fought as organized groups and would eventually be brought back to Afghanistan and Pakistan, unlike previous groups which were assimilated into local jihadist groups fighting in Syria. Deployments of groups by al-Qaeda in South Asia and by parts of the Taliban quickly made a remarkable impact on the Syrian conflict. From 2012 through 2014,
1170-433: A multifaceted financial strategy. ISIS–K engaged in various criminal enterprises, including human trafficking and smuggling, to bolster its financial resources. These illicit activities served as additional streams of income, contributing to the group's financial resilience. The involvement in criminal enterprises demonstrated ISIS–K's ability to adapt its funding strategies, indicating a level of sophistication in navigating
1248-639: A procession mourning the US assassination of Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani , killing 94. In March 2024, four Tajik ISIS–K gunmen launched an attack on a concert hall in Krasnogorsk , Russia , with rifles and incendiaries, killing 145 and marking the group's first attack beyond Afghanistan's neighbors. In June 2024, US officials arrested 8 Tajik men in Los Angeles , New York , and Philadelphia , who were reportedly involved in an ISIS–K plot within
1326-599: A raid in Nangarhar according to a U.S. forces spokesman. Emir was reported to have facilitated major attacks and provided ISIS–K bombmakers with explosive materials. On 30 April 2019, Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against both ISIS–K and the Taliban in eastern Nangarhar Province after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of villages in an area of illegal talc mining. The National Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS–K fighters were killed and two weapons caches destroyed while
1404-455: A range of revenue-generating activities. Overall, ISIS–K's financing structure is characterized by a combination of internal support from ISIS-Central, local taxation in controlled territories, external funding from sympathetic patrons, and engagement in criminal enterprises. Since the Taliban took control of the Afghan central government following the United States withdrawal and collapse of
1482-439: A significant portion of the group's financial support. External funding not only provides an additional layer of financial backing but also highlighted the global network that ISIS–K tapped into for resources. Moreover, engaging in criminal enterprises, such as human trafficking and smuggling, further diversify ISIS–K's funding sources. The group's adaptability in generating funds from both international and illicit channels showcased
1560-537: A statement by the U.S. military. Two U.S. soldiers died during the operation, possibly due to friendly fire. On 1 January 2019, Afghan Special Forces attacked ISIS–K in Nangarhar Province's Achin District, killing 27 militants according to officials. Two local ISIS leaders, Sediq Yar and Syed Omar, were reported to be among those killed. On 10 January, senior ISIS–K commander Khetab Emir was also killed in
1638-704: Is Mullah Abdul Khadim, from the Orakzai tribe of Pakistan. I don't know who is my boss and we don't need to know that. I only know who my boss is and who the leader of Khilafat-i-Islami is, Amir-ul-Muminin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Daesh is not like the Taliban where everyone knows about their system." Though ISIS–K, when it was officially declared in January 2015, was the product of the merger of Tehrik-e Khilafat Khorasan (TKK), Khilafat Afghan, Muslim Dost's group, Azizullah Haqqani's group, and Tehrik-e Khilafat Pakistan (TKP),
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#17327727712341716-537: Is a regional branch of the Salafi jihadist group Islamic State (IS) active in South-Central Asia, primarily Afghanistan and Pakistan . ISIS–K seeks to destabilize and replace current governments within the historic Khorasan region with the goal of establishing a caliphate across South and Central Asia , governed under a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law, which they plan to expand beyond
1794-560: Is designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules , primarily the MC-130 E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. The bomb's name and nickname were inspired by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein 's invocation of the "mother of all battles" ( Umm al-Ma'arik ) during the 1991 Gulf War . The MOAB was first deployed in combat in the 13 April 2017 airstrike against an Islamic State – Khorasan Province tunnel complex in Achin District , Afghanistan . The basic principle resembles that of
1872-469: Is not to be confused with similarly named North , South , and Razavi (Central) Khorasan Provinces of modern Iran. ISIS–K's first wali , Hafiz Saeed Khan , in a 2016 interview featured in the Islamic State's 13th issue of the magazine Dabiq , described the region of Khorasan and its significance: Wilāyat Khurāsān has great importance to Islam and the Muslims. It had once been under the authority of
1950-490: Is referred to by a number of name variants. The larger organization has shifted between names such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham (ISIS), and later simply the Islamic State (IS). Added to the larger organization's name, 'Khorasan Province' varies in abbreviation between 'K' and 'KP'. Thus, commonly used English abbreviations for
2028-623: The 2021 Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American military personnel and at least 169 Afghans in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from the country, twin suicide bombings in July 2018 that killed at least 131 at election rallies in Pakistan, twin bombings in July 2016 that killed 97 Shia Hazara protestors in downtown Kabul, and a suicide bombing in July 2023 that killed 63 in Khar, Pakistan at
2106-915: The BLU-82 Daisy Cutter , which was used to clear heavily wooded areas in the Vietnam War . Decades later, the BLU-82 was used in Afghanistan in November 2001 against the Taliban. Its success as a weapon of intimidation led to the decision to develop the MOAB. Pentagon officials suggested MOAB might be used as an anti-personnel weapon , as part of the " shock and awe " strategy integral to the 2003 invasion of Iraq . GBU-43s are delivered from C-130 cargo aircraft, inside which they are carried on cradles resting on airdrop platforms. The bombs are dropped by deploying drogue parachutes , which also extract
2184-572: The FSB , blamed Ukraine for the attack, but did not provide evidence for the attribution. IS-affiliated Amaq News Agency published a video filmed by one of the attackers. On 4 April 2020, the National Directorate of Security announced the arrest of the head of IS Aslam Farooqi by the Afghan military forces who took him into custody along with 20 other commanders. On 13 April 2017,
2262-795: The GBU-43 , or "mother of all bombs", which is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the inventory of the US Armed Forces, and earlier conceived of the GBU-28 , both for use in wars in the Middle East . Weimorts died of brain cancer in 2005, not living to see use of the MOAB, though it would later be used in 2017 in Afghanistan . Islamic State %E2%80%93 Khorasan Province Known leader : Groups State opponents The Islamic State – Khorasan Province ( ISIS–K , IS–K , IS–KP )
2340-686: The Vietnam War 's Operation Arc Light program, for example, the United States Air Force sent B-52s on well over 10,000 bombing raids, each usually carried out by two groups of three aircraft. A typical mission dropped 168 tons of ordnance, pounding an area 1.5 by 0.5 miles (2.41 by 0.80 km) with an explosive force equivalent to 10 to 17 MOABs. MOAB was first tested with the explosive tritonal on 11 March 2003, on Range 70 located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida . It
2418-536: The al-Nusra Front in Syria. Similarly, as the Taliban's Quetta Shura and leadership council ( Rahbari Shura ) refused to send fighters to Syria, the Taliban's Peshawar Shura and semi-autonomous Miran Shah Shura (better known as the Haqqani network ) arranged a deal between Sirajuddin Haqqani and ISIS-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to deploy Afghan and Pakistani jihadists to the Syrian conflict on salaries of $ 800
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2496-806: The bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul in September 2022. The majority of ISIS–K attacks have been based in Afghanistan, traditionally the group's primary base of operations. Since the close of the NATO presence in Afghanistan and the subsequent military takeover by the Taliban, the group has increased its presence across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), where it has launched an increasing share of its attacks. ISIS–K's first external operation (operations beyond its conventional area of operations) came on 18 April 2022, during
2574-865: The Afghan Taliban, TTP, IMU , LeT , LeJ , and others to join the effort. These ten commanders would become ISIS–K's early senior figures, including Sheikh Mohsin and Sa'ad Emarati who would become ISIS–K's first emirs of Kunar and Logar Province , respectively. In support of the growing movement, the Haqqani Network and Peshawar Shura, established two training camps in Waziristan and Kunar to teach militants combat skills, vet militants, and provide elementary Arabic language lessons. Once complete, these fighters would transit across Iran and Turkey to reach Syria, mostly posing as economic migrants , or on commercial flights for more senior leaders. At
2652-470: The Arabic words Daes ( دَعَسَ , lit. 'to trample', 'to run over') and Dāhis ( دَاحِس , lit. 'one who causes discord'). The name 'Daesh' is also used in the area of ISIS–K's operations, including among Farsi , Dari , Pashto , Balochi , and Urdu speakers. In interviews with western researchers and journalists, ISIS–K members and heads alike use the term 'Daesh' to describe the movement, despite
2730-507: The Grand Slam), developed after World War II , carried a heavier explosive charge than the MOAB, but was never used in combat. In 2007, the Russian military announced that they had tested a thermobaric weapon nicknamed the " Father of All Bombs " ("FOAB"). The weapon is claimed to be four times as powerful as the MOAB, but its specifications are disputed. The MOAB is the most powerful conventional bomb ever used in combat as measured by
2808-528: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( rebranded later to 'Islamic State') declared an Islamic caliphate in 2014 with al-Baghdadi as caliph. By 2010, the Taliban resistance had become weakened under the stresses of factionalism, and the Taliban had lost credibility with many of the jihadist groups for its attempts to negotiate with NATO forces . In contrast, the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March 2011 shifted
2886-412: The Islamic State's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even though the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria had agreed to the establishment of a branch in Khorasan, and though a single, special representative to the new branch had been named, the groups of volunteers from the Khorasan region (primarily Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan) were still disunited and dispersed. Only in 2014, had
2964-581: The Islamic holy month of Ramadan , when the group launched ten rockets out of a Katyusha launcher from northern Afghanistan, over the Amu Darya (Oxus) river into the Uzbek border city of Termez . ISIS-Central published the account in its an-Naba Newsletter, Issue #335, and released video of the launch via the organization's Amaq News Agency . In an-Naba , ISIS claimed the attack was conducted as part of
3042-660: The Khorasan Province still exists, its self-proclaimed geographical area may be reduced. By May 2020 ISIS–K territorial control in Afghanistan was reportedly limited to parts of Chawkay District in Kunar province, specifically Chalas village, Dewaygal Valley and Shuraz Valley. On 26 July 2020, a United Nations report stated that even though the IS branch in Afghanistan had undergone further severe reverses in its former Afghan strongholds of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, it
3120-630: The Khorasan region with nearly every jihadist group in the region taking part to varying degrees. Later in 2003, the United States overthrew the Ba’athist government of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein . Jamat al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad ('Organization of Monotheism and Jihad'), led by Jordanian Salafist jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , quickly gained notoriety for bloody attacks on Shia mosques, civilians, Iraqi government, American, and foreign troops. In 2004, Zarqawi swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and
3198-456: The MOAB. However, half their weight was due to the cast high tensile steel casing necessary for penetrating the ground – up to 130 ft (40 m) – before exploding. The MOAB, in contrast, has a light 2,900 lb (1,300 kg) aluminum casing surrounding 18,700 lb (8,500 kg) of explosive Composition H-6 material. The United States Air Force 's T-12 Cloudmaker 44,000-pound (20,000 kg) demolition bomb (similar in design to
GBU-43/B MOAB - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-487: The Muslims, along with the regions surrounding it. Afterwards, the secularist and Rāfidī [rejectionists, Shia] murtaddīn [apostates] conquered some of these regions, and the cow-worshipping Hindus and atheist Chinese conquered other nearby regions, as is the case in parts of Kashmir and Turkistan. So the Wilāyah, by Allah’s permission, is a gate to re-conquering all these regions until they are ruled once more by Allah’s law, and so
3354-498: The Pakistani and Iranian Jundullah movements, which ISIS–K united. These groups shared with ISIS–K a violent opposition to Shia Muslims and the desire to replace existing secular and democratic institutions in the region with a powerful Islamic state. Many of these groups, prior to the establishment of ISIS–K, relied on limited support from al-Qaeda, which by the time of ISIS–K's founding had been dismissed as too focused and engaged in
3432-624: The Taliban claimed U.S.-backed Afghan forces killed seven civilians; a provincial official said over 9,000 families had been displaced by the fighting. On 21 August 2019, an airstrike killed six militants of IS in Nangarhar province including two Pakistani nationals. In July 2018, the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province. On 27 August 2021, the United States launched an airstrike against three suspected ISIS–K members in Nangarhar Province . On 29 August,
3510-472: The United States, with connections to a larger ISIS–K cell being monitored in Central Europe . All eight were said to have entered the United States illegally across the U.S. border with Mexico . ISIS–K began with the dispatch of Afghan and Pakistani militants from al-Qaeda -aligned groups to the Syrian civil war , who returned to the region with instructions and funding to recruit fighters for
3588-515: The aftermath of the attack, Save the Children suspended its operations in Afghanistan. On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured. ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites . On 12 May 2020, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and
3666-546: The attack in an-Naba and a video of the operation through Amaq News Agency. ISIS–K's third external operation, the first of which to gain high-profile international attention and produce obvious casualties, was a twin bombing on 3 January 2024 against a gathering of Iranians mourning the death of former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force (QF) commander, Qasem Soleimani , at his grave in Kerman , Iran. The bloody attack killed 96, and injured 284. ISIS-K's fourth and most high-profile external operation
3744-733: The attack, the Taliban announced that they would curtail the operations of ISIS–K and capture its leader Shahab al-Muhajir . On 6 September 2022, the Human Rights Watch reported that since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, the ISIS–K has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Hazaras and has been linked to at least 3 more, killing and injuring at least 700 people. The Islamic State affiliate has repeatedly attacked Hazaras and other religious minorities at mosques, schools, and workplaces. ISIS–K claimed responsibility for
3822-433: The attack. On 26 August 2021, an ISIS–K suicide bomber attacked Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul , killing over 170 people, including 28 Taliban members and 13 U.S. military personnel. Amidst the Taliban advance on Kabul in preceding weeks, hundreds to thousands of ISIS–K prisoners had been released or otherwise escaped from detention, leading to U.S. fears of attacks on the airport and future targets. After
3900-575: The attack. Shortly after the attack against Uzbekistan, on 7 May, ISIS–K conducted its second external operation against Tajikistan. According to ISIS-Central's an-Naba newsletter's 338th issue, the group launched seven rockets from a Katyusha launcher from the Afghan-Tajik border in Takhar Province targeting the "headquarters of the apostate Tajik army." Similar to its rocket attack against Uzbekistan, ISIS-Central published an account of
3978-415: The attention of jihadists from the Afghan jihad to the Levant . With jihadist groups flocking to take part in the conflict, al-Qaeda's branches in Afghanistan and Pakistan began lobbying to send groups of fighters to join the Syrian jihad, a measure to demonstrate to the world that al-Qaeda was still actively involved in a global jihad, especially as donor states' interest in the Afghan jihad faded in favor of
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#17327727712344056-614: The concept of Greater Khorasan , a historical eastern region of the Iranian Plateau between Western and Central Asia. Khorasan was first established as a region under the Persian Sasanian Empire and expanded under the Umayyad Caliphate . Today, the lands of the Khorasan region include northeastern Iran , most of Afghanistan, and the southern areas of Central Asia . The Greater Khorasan region
4134-407: The cradle and platform from the aircraft. Shortly after launch the drogues are released and the bomb falls without the use of a retarding parachute. GPS satellite-guidance is used to guide bombs to their targets. The MOAB is not a penetrator weapon and is primarily an air burst bomb intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as
4212-595: The derogatory connotations the term carries in Arabic-speaking Iraq and Syria. The term ' Wilayah ', translated as 'Province' comes from the Arabic term for an administrative subdivision , led by a wali (governor). The Islamic State likely favors the term for its significance as the primary subdivision of historic Islamic caliphates . The Islamic State uses the term Wilayat in each of its province's formal names, Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), for example. The term ' Khorasan ' refers to
4290-418: The economic resources of the territories under its control, emphasizing a dynamic financial strategy tailored to the circumstances of each region. ISIS–K actively seeks external funding from sympathetic patrons, including wealthy individuals from Gulf countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Donations from these sources, coupled with collaborations with individuals willing to contribute resources, constitute
4368-682: The explosion killed a teacher and his young son. Former US military official Marc Garlasco , who served in the George W. Bush administration, said that the US had not previously used the MOAB because of worries that it would inadvertently hurt or kill civilians. During World War II , Royal Air Force Bomber Command used the Grand Slam , officially known as the "Bomb, Medium Capacity, 22,000 lb" 42 times. At 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) total weight, these earthquake bombs were larger and heavier than
4446-447: The group became part of Ayman al-Zawahiri 's campaign against the United States, becoming known as al-Qaeda in Iraq or AQI. Under the 2007 surge of American troops in Iraq, AQI was diminished until 2011 when the group newly under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , began to reemerge and spread into the nascent Syrian civil war . Capturing a number of cities in Iraq and Syria, notably Raqqa, Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit, Ramadi, Aleppo,
4524-490: The group include ISIS–K, ISIL–K, IS–K, ISIS–KP, ISIL–KP, IS–KP, ISISK, ISK, and ISKP. Colloquially, especially in southwest and south-central Asia , the group referred to by the abbreviation of the larger Islamic State: Daesh , which is an acronym of the Islamic State's name in Arabic ( ad- Da wlah al- I slamīyah fī l-ʻ I rāq wa ash- Sh ām ) as Dāʿish ( داعش ), or Daesh . This name is considered derogatory, as it resembles
4602-519: The groups began to form larger organizations and coalesce around a few key commanders. These groups were Tehrik-e Khilafat Khorasan (TKK), Khilafat Afghan and Muslim Dost's group, Azizullah Haqqani's group, and Tehrik-e Khilafat Pakistan (TKP), the first three of which existed in Afghanistan and TKP in Pakistan. In January 2015, the three groups, varyingly recruiting from the Afghan Taliban , Haqqani network , and Pakistani Taliban , merged into
4680-530: The larger Islamic State – Khorasan Province with Hafiz Saeed Khan as its wali , and was formally announced by ISIS-Central's chief spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnan on 26 January 2015. Interviews with ISIS–K leaders suggest that it was from that day forward that members of these formerly separate groups all began to refer to themselves as Daesh, Daesh Khorasan, or Khilafat Islami with a strong discouragement for any continued insinuation of separate groups. One ISIS–K member, formerly of Khilafat Afghan remarked "My boss
4758-594: The larger organization's 'Raid of Revenge for the Two Sheikhs', in which a number of its subordinate provinces conducted a cumulative 245 attacks between 17 April and 1 May in stated revenge for the 3 February 2022 U.S. counterterrorism operation killing ISIS's caliph (and successor to the recently killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ) Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and the November 2021 U.S. airstrike killing ISIS chief spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi . The Uzbek Ministry of Defense and Afghan Taliban both denied reports of
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#17327727712344836-485: The local police raided a house in Lahore 's Factory Area as part of their combing operation which was approved by Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa in the aftermath of Mall Road bombing . After an exchange of fire which killed one "terrorist", three other suspects were arrested, one of them being Noreen Leghari, a student from Hyderabad, Pakistan who was claimed to be missing by her family 4 days prior to
4914-423: The newly ordained ISIS–K forged significant alliances with other Sunni jihadist movements in the region to include the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Islamic Movement of Turkmenistan (IMT), Uyghur East Turkestan Islamic Party (ETIP), Jamaat Ansarullah , Harakat Islami Tajikistan , and the Islamic Jihad Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IJRPT), Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin , and Baluchi militant groups including
4992-430: The operation, one official of the Balochistan Constabulary was killed and eight others from the Counter Terrorism Department were injured. On 26 April 2017, a joint raid operation committed by U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan Special Forces in the Nangarhar Province resulted in the death of Sheikh Abdul Hasib, the leader of IS in Afghanistan. Along with Hasib, a number of other commanders of IS were killed according to
5070-412: The organization's expansion attracted various other militant groups, including many from Afghanistan's geographic periphery. Notable among these are the Omar Ghazi Group, Shamali Khilafat, Gansu Hui Group, Harakat Khilafat Baluch, Jaysh ul Islam, Mullah Bakhtwar's group, the Shamsatoo group, and radical student groups in Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Beyond the incorporation of smaller militant groups,
5148-553: The raid. On a confessional statement released by ISPR , Noreen confessed to joining IS through a terrorist she met on social media , She also told authorities that she was recruited by IS to attack a church in Lahore on the Easter Sunday, two suicide jackets, four hand grenades and bullets were provided to them. On 4 September 2019, in a joint operation of Counter Terrorism Department , FIA and Balochistan Constabulary at least 6 ISIS militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Quetta's Eastern Bypass area. During
5226-537: The ranks of Afghans and Pakistanis in ISIS grew massively with at least 1,000 volunteers deployed by TTP alone. Likely appreciative of the volunteer fighters supplied by groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the ISIS Military Commission in Syria offered ten TTP and Taliban volunteer group leaders, from Saeed Khan's first dispatch, $ 1 million to proselytize for the movement when they returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beginning in November 2013, these group leaders began approaching members of each militant group including
5304-466: The region. ISIS–K is responsible for numerous attacks of targeting civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, predominately against Shia Muslims , politicians, and government employees. In August 2017, ISIS–K and the Taliban jointly attacked several villages inhabited by the Shia Hazara minority in northern Afghanistan, resulting in the mass murder of Hazara men, women, and children within Sar-e Pol Province . Some of its most notable attacks include
5382-554: The struggle against NATO forces in Afghanistan and not on other Central Asian jihadist movements . ISIS–K's perceived influence in Central Asian nations was an important driver for many Sunni Muslim donors in the Arabian Gulf who financially supported ISIS–K as a counterbalance to the threat of Russian anti-Islamic influence in the former Soviet Central Asian states. On 15 May 2019, ISIS declared new 'Pakistan Province' and 'India Province' branches after claiming attacks in Balochistan and Kashmir , respectively. This suggests that while
5460-434: The surging ISIS campaign in Syria. Although al-Qaeda -linked Afghan and Pakistani jihadists had traveled to fight in the Levant as early as 2003, most groups had been small in number and quickly integrated into assorted ISIS units. On 14 July 2012, Hafiz Saeed Khan , a prominent Pakistani Taliban (TTP) leader, agreed to rapidly assemble a group of 143 Afghan and Pakistani volunteer fighters for al-Qaeda to dispatch to join
5538-473: The territory of the blessed Khilāfah [caliphate] is expanded. Prior to the official establishment of ISIS–K in 2015, a number of Islamic militant jihadist groups operated in South and Central Asia, seeking to supplant existing governments with a more fundamentalist , Islamist government. These groups fought against the governments of Iran , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Pakistan , and China , most with support from al-Qaeda which had operated with
5616-486: The time, commanders found it fairly easy to motivate fighters to join the fight in Syria, as most assumed their former organization would eventually sign a peace deal with the Afghan or Pakistani government, and because the money was more attractive than the region's faltering Taliban donors. One senior ISIS–K member noted in June 2015 "many Arab countries support Daesh: Saudi Arabia , Qatar , UAE , and others. They also have
5694-501: The value based on already existing parts such as bomb casing and metals, and since the bomb was built in-house, they did not pay for outside research or have standard procurement costs associated with it. MOAB was a "crash project" developed for use against an adversary with uncertain tactics on unfamiliar terrain, and so was an effort to meet an urgent need rather than a formal program. Should more bombs be ordered to be built, manufacturing would likely be started over with higher costs due to
5772-481: The weight of its explosive material. The explosive yield is comparable to that of the smallest tactical nuclear weapons , such as the Cold War -era American M-388 projectile fired by the portable Davy Crockett recoilless gun. The M-388, a W54 nuclear warhead variant, weighed less than 60 pounds (27 kg). At the projectile's lowest yield setting of 10 tons, roughly equivalent to a single MOAB, its explosive force
5850-545: Was a 22 March 2024 attack by four Tajik gunmen against Russian civilians in the Crocus City Hall attack . The attack, claimed by ISIS–K, killed 145 and injured 551 and marked the deadliest attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004, and it is also the deadliest ever Islamic State attack on European soil to this day, closely followed by the 2015 Paris attacks. Putin and the Russian security service,
5928-548: Was only 1/144,000th (0.0007%) that of the Air Force's 1.44-megaton W49 warhead, a nuclear weapon commonly found on American ICBMs from the early 1960s. Albert L. Weimorts, Jr. Albert Lee Weimorts Jr. (6 March 1938 – 21 December 2005) was an American engineer who was known for his design of some of the most powerful conventional bombs for the United States Armed Forces . Notably, he created
6006-558: Was tested again on 21 November 2003. Since 2003, 15 MOABs have been manufactured at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, Oklahoma . The Air Force has said the MOAB has a unit price of $ 170,000, but this is a historical unit cost made in the mid-2000s and various factors of the bomb's atypical development process have made exact cost estimation difficult. The Air Force Research Lab generated
6084-464: Was too soon to discount it as a threat. Although in territorial retreat, IS in Afghanistan could carry out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul . On 24 January 2018, militants launched a bomb and gun attack on a Save the Children office in Jalalabad , killing six people and injuring 27. ISIS–K claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting Western institutions. In
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