Terrorism and Conflict
The [2024] attack in Moscow was fantastic for them," says Dr. Antonio Giustozzi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "It's not the number of people killed; it's the media exposure. You need to have graphic evidence of violence." According to Giustozzi, this marked the turning point for ISIS-K: the high media impact of the attacks translated into a spike in funding, as well as a motivational boost for would-be terrorists across the globe. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, ISIS-K began focusing on attacks overseas. Giustozzi quotes what an Islamic State member told one of his researchers: "There's no point in [striking in] Afghanistan anymore, because nobody knows about it, nobody sees it… We need to strike where the images will be circulated. Videos are even better." A second turning point came in June 2024, when Pakistan launched a wide-scale operation against ISIS-K that extended well into 2025. One command cell was destroyed by Pakistan, says Giustozzi, while another was attacked and dismantled by Balochi rebels fighting alongside the Pakistani state. "They lost quite a lot of key people, including the people with the money," he says. Because ISIS-K relies on cryptocurrency, the loss of technological access to its funds meant that millions of dollars were lost. The command structure was broken up, Giustozzi adds, leaving the remaining cells "orphaned." Some experts say funds in Afghanistan are once again running dry, as all eyes turn to post-Assad Syria. "I believe [the terror cells] are trying to reconnect," cautions Giustozzi, but also notes the significant improvement in European countries' capabilities in foiling attacks.
