India closely monitors ISKP in Afghanistan and Central Asia

New Delhi: India is keeping a close watch as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) an offshoot of ISIS takes root in Afghanistan and its surrounding areas and has stepped up counter-terror cooperation with Eurasia in this regard.

Security experts here are keeping a close watch in northeastern Iran, western and northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, and parts of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan where ISKP may spread its network and propaganda potentially harming India's Central Asia outreach, ET has learnt.

ISKP is under close watch of security establishments of India, Russia and Central Asia following the Moscow attack earlier this year and neutralization of terror cells and arrests of radicals in some Central Asian states, it has been further learnt.


NSA AK Doval is expected to visit St Petersburg in September for BRICS NSA meeting and is expected to discuss expanding counter-terror cooperation with the host. This could be his first meeting with Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, formerly Defence Minister of Russia. Security experts further alleged that ISKP today comprises ex ISIS fighters from Eurasia besides terror operatives from Pakistan. Experts alleged that ISKP wants to weaken the Taliban in Afghanistan and occupy its space. Russian government sources claimed ISKP is trying to intensify its reach in the post-Soviet space since 2022.