Countering ISIS threat to top SCO Summit agenda

New Delhi: Countering threats from ISIS which is taking roots in Afghanistan and spreading its network in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Iran, and threatening to target India will top the agenda of the SCO Summit on July 3-4 in Astana.

Recent arrests of terrorists in Kyrgyzstan and earlier in Tajikistan have established ISIS links emanating from Afghanistan, according to persons tracking the terrorist network in the Af-Pak region.

The Indian establishment is closely monitoring the spread of ISIS in Eurasia and its impact across the border in India, ET has learnt. What has come to their notice is recent literature of ISIS that aims to target India, ET has further learnt.


The SCO summit will give the Indian leadership an opportunity to engage with the leaders of Central Asia besides Russia and make a strong pitch against the need to counter terrorism and rising extremism. SCO is the only organisation that has a dedicated centre.

India has stepped up its counter-terror cooperation with Russia since Tajik nationals with Pakistan connections were found to be involved in the deadly terror attack near Moscow. Counter-terrorism is figuring high on India’s agenda with the Central Asian states. New Delhi is keeping a close watch on alleged efforts by Pakistan to radicalise the youth in the Central Asian region.

Last week, Kyrgyzstan stated that it had arrested 15 suspected supporters of ISIS — a growing concern in Central Asian countries following a March attack in Moscow.

"The state committee for national security has ended the activities of a clandestine radical group, whose members were actively promoting IS ideology," the Kyrgyz security service said in a statement.

"In total, 15 people were arrested in the capital Bishkek and around the country," the security service said, adding that "one of the leaders of the group was under the orders of a member of the Islamic State in Afghanistan known as Khorasan.”

The ISIS offshoot has been classified by the United Nations as "the biggest terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Central Asia" and is one of the main security challenges for countries in Central Asia that border Afghanistan.

This concern has increased following the terror attack claimed by Khorasan on March 22 in Moscow in which at least 144 people were killed — the highest death toll in an attack in Russia since 2004.

ET had reported in March that Tajiks involved in the Moscow attack have been radicalised by Pakistan seminaries and have subsequently been part of ISIS and got shelter in Turkey. Tajikistan is also cracking down against the extremists.

Radicalisation of Central Asian youth is not only a worry for Russia and Central Asia but also India, according to security analysts. India enjoys goodwill among the Central Asian population, dating back to the Soviet period.