By Girish Linganna
The world was stunned by the horrific events that unfolded at the Crocus City Hall, a concert venue located in Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow, when four militants armed with automatic weapons and explosive devices launched a violent attack. As people tried to escape, the chaos was captured on video, showing them running from a barrage of gunfire and the grim scene of fatalities. The Islamic State later acknowledged orchestrating this violent act through statements on its media channels. Additionally, they distributed harrowing footage recorded by the attackers themselves, displaying the ruthless killing and in some instances, the disfigurement of victims as the attackers navigated the venue.
The devastating incident on March 22 at the concert venue marked a grim awakening for many to the presence of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). This act of terror was the most severe Russia had seen in years, and both ISKP and its parent entity, the Islamic State, have long considered Moscow an adversary since their beginnings.
When Abubakr al-Baghdadi announced the creation of the Caliphate in 2014, he included Russia in a list of enemies led by the United States, which he accused of working together with Jews and other opponents against them. Abubakr al-Baghdadi was the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), a militant group that proclaimed a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq, known for committing extreme acts of terrorism.
A caliphate is a form of Islamic government led by a caliph—a religious and political leader considered a successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim community. Since then, Russia’s military involvement in Syria, the growth of its private military contractors in many parts of Africa, closer ties with the Taliban, and a range of long-standing issues, including Russia’s historical influence on the Middle East’s borders post-Ottoman Empire, have drawn more attention and criticism.
The Islamic State has long-standing issues with Russia, rooted in the group’s core beliefs. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, considered the ideological pioneer of the organization, went to Afghanistan in 1989 to support the mujahideen against the Soviets. He didn’t make it in time to combat but began forging ties with jihadist fighters then. Al-Zarqawi’s aggressive stance continues to trouble Russia, especially via the Khorasan group. This branch has merged his approach with the global outreach and call to violence advocated by former Islamic State spokesperson Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, emphasizing attacks beyond their region.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a militant Islamist from Jordan who ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. He emerged as a key figure in the insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq and led the group that would become known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which eventually evolved into the Islamic State (ISIS). Al-Zarqawi was notorious for his brutal tactics, including beheadings, and he was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006.
In 2006, the Mujahidin Shura Council, an entity linked to Al-Qaida in Iraq and a predecessor to the Islamic State, called for Russia to withdraw from Chechnya. They took responsibility for the death of a Russian embassy worker and the kidnapping of four other Russians. A subsequent video purportedly displayed the execution of the diplomat, described as retaliation for what they called the suffering and displacement inflicted on Muslims by the Russian government.
Chechnya is a region of Russia located in the North Caucasus, with a predominantly Muslim population. The region has experienced significant conflict, including two wars for independence following the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Despite its turbulent past, it now has relative stability under the controversial leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov, but faces scrutiny over human rights issues.
In 2014, the Islamic State established their caliphate, which is like an Islamic government. The next year, Russia started military operations in Syria, which the Islamic State saw as a very proud and foolish move. They started calling Russia the head of the ‘Crusader East’, believing Russia was too arrogant in its decision to get involved. The Islamic State also took responsibility for blowing up a Russian plane over Egypt’s Sinai area, which killed all 224 passengers. They said Russia’s actions in Syria were the reason they attacked the flight.
That year also marked the birth of ISKP, a new group that claimed the Taliban in Afghanistan were just tools controlled by countries like Iran, China, the US, and Russia. ISKP said this to challenge the Taliban’s reputation as the genuine fighters for their cause. A notable number of Russians were part of the Islamic State when it was still a caliphate. Alexander Bortnikov, who leads Russia’s FSB, reported that around 2,900 Russians had gone to join this group by the end of 2015. A Reuters investigation suggested that some Russian officials might have either ignored or helped extremists leave Russia. This happened before the Winter Olympics in Sochi, possibly to reduce the risk of attacks during the games.,
Sochi is a city located in southwestern Russia on the coast of the Black Sea. It’s known for its warm climate, beaches, and as a popular resort destination. Sochi gained international prominence when it hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In 2015, officials announced the arrest of several men who had received training from the Islamic State in Syria and were planning to target Moscow’s public transportation system. The FSB reported discovering a homemade bomb and 11 pounds of explosive materials during a raid on a property. In 2016, the FSB reported capturing seven individuals who were planning to carry out bombings in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ekaterinburg. It was reported that the officials found a place where bombs were being made, along with various guns and grenades.
Later on, in April 2017, a suicide bomber from Kyrgyzstan, linked to the Islamic State, detonated himself inside a train car in St. Petersburg. Two years later, in 2019, Islamic State fighters launched attacks in several Russian locations: they shot at FSB officers and used grenades in Stavropol, set off bombs in Kolomna, and stabbed a police officer in Achkhoi-Martanovsky.
The Islamic State’s group in Afghanistan and Pakistan sees the Taliban and Russia as closely connected, especially since Kabul was taken over in 2021. Even though ISKP has been tough and keeps carrying out attacks in the region, the Taliban have managed to fight back effectively against this local rebellion. During this time, ISKP has significantly increased its presence in the media. It publishes content in more languages than any other branch has since the Caliphate ended. By growing its network of publications and translation services, ISKP is spreading its message to people all over the world. ISKP has launched media operations in Russian, Tajik, and Uzbek to grow its influence in the region and among Central Asian communities living abroad. This strategy has helped ISKP recruit people from Central Asia and use them for missions both locally and around the world, similar to what they have done in Moscow.
ISKP and the Taliban were already fighting each other before the Taliban took back control of the government. The Islamic State was quick to criticize the Taliban, calling them “traitors” and saying that true Islam doesn’t come from negotiating in Qatar’s hotels or dealing with the embassies of countries like Russia, China, and Iran.
In 2022, an ISKP suicide bomber attacked the Russian embassy in Kabul, causing an explosion that killed two embassy employees and at least six others. The Islamic State, through its Amaq News Agency, proudly claimed responsibility for the attack. This incident challenged the Taliban’s previous claims that foreign embassies in Afghanistan were secure. In that year too, someone said to be linked to the Islamic State murdered a policeman and wounded another one in Chechnya. The Islamic State shared pictures that were supposedly taken before the incident, which displayed the attacker with a knife and the group’s flag.
In the year leading up to the latest attack near Moscow, there have been more frequent reports of the Islamic State planning attacks in Russia and Russian law enforcement agencies managing to stop these plans. In April 2023, a man from Tajikistan, connected to the Islamic State and suspected of plotting to bomb the Russian railway system and crowds in the Moscow region and Novosibirsk, was arrested. He faced and was convicted on 21 different charges. Allegedly a head of an Islamic State group, he was said to have gathered other people from Tajikistan to help make, get, and keep bombs, guns, and bullets without permission.
On March 3, 2023, in the Republic of Ingushetia in the Northern Caucasus, a lengthy 15-hour confrontation ended with six suspected Islamic State members being killed. Russian International Television Network (RTVI) reported that during the clash, three security personnel were wounded and one civilian caught in the crossfire lost their life. Shortly after, on March 7, two individuals from Kazakhstan believed to be linked to ISKP were killed by the FSB during a raid in the city of Kaluga. Officials said these individuals had been planning an attack on a synagogue in Moscow.
On the same day, the U.S. Embassy in Russia alerted that “extremists” intended to target large events in Moscow, mentioning concerts specifically. This warning turned out to be accurate because, on March 22, a tragedy occurred when four attackers entered Crocus City Hall just before a popular Russian band was about to perform to a full house, resulting in the death of at least 140 individuals.
The ISKP’s strike in Russia surprised many who questioned why the Islamic State would target Russia. However, for some, this was predictable as Russia has been a growing focus of Islamic State activities for years. The recent attack appears to be a peak in the group’s mounting hostility.
Following the attack, ISKP was eager to vow more actions, claiming that showing videos of prisoners being mistreated by Russians has intensified the desire for revenge. They warned that their future attacks would be so severe that they would be remembered for generations, and threatened widespread violence against Russian families. ISKP’s media outlet, Al-Azaim Foundation, released an image connecting “the Battle for Moscow” to the Islamic State’s worldwide efforts. They declared that their fight spans across the globe, from the southern reaches of Mozambique to the northern regions of Russia, emphasizing that they see it as a singular conflict against a common enemy.
ISKP, along with the pro-Islamic State platform Al-Battar, reissued a warning aimed at Western countries, hinting “after Moscow… who will be targeted next?” and named cities like Paris, Rome, London, and Madrid as potential future sites of attack. A spokesperson for the Islamic State commended ISKP for their assaults on what they refer to as “Crusader Americans, Russians, and Communist Chinese.”
ISKP has stepped up its verbal attacks on Russia and sees a chance to strike while Russia’s intelligence and security efforts are overstretched due to its military involvement in Ukraine, actions in Syria, and private military company activities in Africa. The group has openly stated that Russia is stuck in a costly and draining conflict in Ukraine, referring to it as “the Black Hole in Ukraine.” Their Farsi-speaking division has told supporters to seize the chaos as an opportunity.
Signs suggest that ISKP will keep posing a strong threat to Russian interests both in South and Central Asia and within Russia itself. The group is expected to keep encouraging its supporters to commit violent acts and probably plan more attacks. Moscow’s reaction to the attack and its negative treatment of Central Asians may only worsen the problem, playing right into the hands of what the Islamic State and ISKP aim to use for their benefit. (IPA Service)
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