Daesh Khurasan Intensifies Threats and Recruitment Efforts Targeting India

Author: Lucas Webber — a researcher focused on geopolitics and violent non-state actors. He is cofounder and editor at militantwire.com

On June 18, the Daesh Khurasan Province (Daesh-KP) conducted an attack on a Sikh gurdwara in Kabul that killed two people. In the wake of the operation, the Daesh official Amaq News Agency claimed the attack against the “temples for Hindu and Sikh polytheists”, declaring it was launched in direct retaliation for blasphemous comments made about the Prophet Muhammad by a spokesman of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Although the incident clearly sparked a surge of jihadist animosity, the attack took place within a developing context of increasingly hostile rhetoric criticising and threatening India for comments made about Islam and specific laws targeting Muslims by the ruling BJP party. In the lead-up to the June attack, Daesh-KP had been increasing its focus on India, and, along with the threats, had been bolstering its outreach efforts to build support amongst and recruit from within India’s Muslim populations.

Threats Against India
Daesh Khurasan is a transnational organization that operates in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The governments of both countries are the group’s most direct enemies, and the terror group’s strategy in fighting these each includes kinetic militancy and media warfare.

The group finds opportunity in tapping into anti-Indian sentiments amongst population segments spread throughout South Asia and portrays the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan as soft and even friendly towards New Delhi.

By consistently taking on India as an enemy, Daesh’s Khurasan branch reinforces that it is truly part of a global jihadist movement and supports oppressed Muslim populations around the world. As proof, the group points to the Taliban’s statements about its non-interventionist foreign policy, and in issue 12 of Voice of Khurasan magazine stated the “Taliban regime has no intention to stand by the side of … Uyghur Muslims and Indian Muslims” and instead wants to “strengthen diplomatic ties” with China and India.

Conversely, Daesh-KP explicitly threatens New Delhi and attacks associated targets with cultural ties and symbolic value to India as seen with the Kabul gurdwara operation. Immediately following the BJP member’s comments and in the subsequent leadup to the attack, Daesh-KP expressed its animosity toward India and the Taliban in a June 9 booklet titled “Sons of Cows [Hindus] and Their New Friends [the Taliban]”, in a June 14 video titled “The Polytheists are Brothers to the Polytheists”, and in a June 16 issue of Khurasan Ghag magazine.

In addition to the Daesh Khurasan branch’s own threats and operations, the group has likewise urged individual Indian Muslims to conduct attacks domestically. In a document titled “Eid Message”, the group addressed the “youth of the Islamic Ummah saying “India and Iran have also assaulted the honorable position of our Prophet … and the Taliban have befriended them both, so what are you waiting for?” Muslims are called upon to join the Islamic State, “take up arms”, “register your name in inghimasi (assault and suicide bomb) and istishhadi (suicide bomb) operations,” and “continue jihad”.

And on an organic discursive level surrounding official IS media institutions, supporters and aligned propaganda groups active in the online South Asian pro-Daesh-KP media and communications sphere commonly advocate for violence against India.

Recruitment Targeting Indian Muslims
Along with its bellicose stance towards India and hardline position on Kashmir which galvanise supporters, Daesh-KP uses a variety of tactics to broaden its appeal amongst and recruit from India’s Muslim populations. The group's customised propaganda campaign targeting India includes the production and translation of media content into languages spoken in parts of the country such as Hindi and Malayalam.

Daesh celebrates its Indian fighters and martyrs by profiling them in its publications including the Arabic newsletter Al-Naba as well as regional magazines such as Voice of Khurasan and Voice of Hind. Joining the organisation’s jihad is presented as obligatory and the duty of all Muslims. Accordingly, such figures are exalted as examples to follow for answering the call, showing commitment, courage, and bravery, and ultimately giving their lives in the fight against the enemies of Islam and in furtherance of the Daesh cause.

Assessment
Comments made by senior Indian officials within the BJP party on Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, including its harsh policies in and perceived occupation of Kashmir, and blasphemous acts by public figures will continue to be subjects of considerable focus for Daesh-KP. The group’s targeted strategy will include continued criticism and terror threats toward India, while also calling upon supporters in the country to conduct attacks domestically.

The Taliban and Pakistan’s relations with New Delhi will be scrutinised, and Daesh-KP may further plot against Indian targets and interests throughout the region. This could very well include Indian nationals or ethnic targets with cultural and symbolic ties.

Overall, Daesh-KP seeks to strengthen its organisation and movement by bolstering and customising its recruiting, fundraising, and violent incitement efforts to target various ethnolinguistic and national population segments. Its attacks on nearby countries and foreign interests inside of Afghanistan are purposed to undermine the Taliban’s governing legitimacy as well as international confidence in the Taliban’s ability to provide security to foreigners and diplomatic, commercial, and other interests.