ISKP in its propaganda magazine Voice of Khurasan forewarns the Taliban prior to its assassination of Khalil Rahman Haqqani

Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) has taken responsibility for the attack in Kabul on December 11^th, which claimed the life of a prominent Haqqani leader and Afghan refugee Minister, Khalil Rahman Haqqani.  ISKP stated that the attacker was Abu Usman Khorasani and has also released his photograph.

The group further stated, “Islamic State fighters have repeatedly succeeded in targeting senior administrative and security officials within the Taliban leadership, which assumed power under a peace agreement with the United States.”

Being Taliban’s arch nemesis, ISKP has assassinated high-ranking Taliban officials in the past which included a military corps commander, a governor, and police chiefs.

𝗜𝗦𝗞𝗣’𝘀 propaganda magazine 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝟰𝟭: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮, 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, prior to the incident on December 11^th , issued a direct warning to the Taliban. It has criticized Taliban for straying away from Sharia, claiming Islamic state as the true face of jihad.

The back cover of the magazine showcases a poster displaying an Islamic State member standing before a wall with photographs of Taliban leaders killed by ISKP. The poster includes a question mark which explicitly references the phrase “Who will be next?”. The magazine Issue appeared in November 2024 and appears to have been a foreboding for events to come.

The Issue has also targeted the Hamas, calling it “the right hand of Rafidis and the evil ones who believe in democracy.”

While proclaiming itself as the only legitimate proponent of the Jihadist movement, ISKP has tried to attract fresh recruits through its propaganda narrative in this issue.

Addressing “the Loyal Women of the Ummah” it has blatantly tried to direct recruitment tactics towards the women, encouraging them to follow religious studies, train in military and medical skills, to raise their children as fighters and provide unconditional support to the male members of their family in jihad while bearing hardships with patience.

The magazine has also called for donations and financial support through cryptocurrency.