The fate of the leaders of the terrorist group ISIS-Khorasan and its connection with the Haqqani network
Author: Mahfouz
The leadership of ISIS-Khorasan has gone through many ups and downs since its inception until now. The Sangar website from the very beginning, according to the news and analytics it published and in addition this report obtained from specific sources in Afghanistan, highlights the fact that the leadership of ISIS from the very beginning and still is under the cover of the Haqqani network and the Talibani Emirate and trying to threaten the security of the entire region.
While there is consensus on the ISIS connection to the Taliban and the lack of physical existence of ISIS, we will now get two new points from this report: first, the concentration of ISIS in Sistan and Balochistan and the establishment of the Fars Governorate or Governorate; second, ISIS is focused on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, called the governorate or vicegerency of Movarounnahr. These two regions are the main focus of ISIS. Currently, in addition to organized attacks to show that ISIS really exists, creating active nuclei in these regions is also one of the goals of ISIS-Khorasan.
Now, for the first time in modern history, we are publishing this report, obtained from reliable sources in Afghanistan, and telling about the fate of the leaders of ISIS-Khorasan.
The first founder and leader of ISIS-Khorasan, who played an important role in the establishment and proclamation of the province of ISIS-Khorasan, was MAWLAWI SHAHIDULLAH "SHAHEED", known as Sheikh Maqbool, from the Orakzai Agency in Pakistan and a member of the Council of Leaders of the TTP.
Sheikh Maqbool established a relationship with the British intelligence agency MI6 through a man named Reyhan, a member of the Haqqani network. Sheikh Makbul also knew some Arabs in Iraq and Syria, and these acquaintances date back to the days of the Afghan jihad when they fought in the ranks of the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet troops and the communist regime in Kabul.
The first Governor or Emir of the ISIS-Khorasan province in Afghanistan was HAFIZ SAIDKHAN, a military leader and activist in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Hafiz Saidkhan was from the Pakistani Orakzai agency, who, after swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the ISIS terrorist group, and declaring ISIS-Khorasan a province, moved his people to the borders of Afghanistan and managed to seize some territories of the province of Nangarhar. Hafiz Said was the governor or emir of ISIS-Khorasan for nearly two years. He was later killed by a drone in the Pihai Valley of Nangarhar Province.
After his assassination, a man named SHEIKH ABDULHASIB LOGARI, who had previously served as Hafiz Saidkhan's deputy after Mullah Abdulrauf Khadim, Hafiz Said's deputy, was assassinated, was appointed governor or amir of ISIS-Khorasan. Sheikh Abdulhasib was the governor of ISIS Khorasan for almost a year. He was killed in a night ambush in the Mohmand valley of the Achin district of Nangarhar province.
MAWLAWI ABUSAID BAJAURI, a member and leader of the TTP, was appointed governor or third emir of ISIS-Khorasan and was killed by a cruise missile in the Wazir Tangi region (Nangarhar).
After Bajuri was killed, a man named ABU OMAR introduced himself as the head of the ISIS Asia Cell. Abu Umar appointed and declared MULLAH ABDULLAH FAROOQI or "Aslam Farooqi", who was from the Orakzai agency of Pakistan, as the governor or amir of ISIS-Khorasan. Sometime later, he was arrested by the national security forces of the Republican government and was held in Bagram Prison until the fall of the Republic. Aslam Farooqi was released from prison when the Taliban took over Kabul. He went to Pakistan for some time and was absent. But last year it was reported that he was killed in the province of Zabul, but so far no intelligence agencies have confirmed or denied his death.
After Farooqi's arrest, another person was introduced named MULLAH SAID as the governor or Amir of ISIS-Khorasan.
In the midst of all the confusion and ambiguity regarding the leadership of ISIS-Khorasan, a man named ABU OMAR QUNARI also declared himself the Governor or Amir of ISIS-Khorasan.
This time, in a very short period of time, another change took place at the level of the leadership of ISIS-Khorasan, and SANAULLAH GHAFFARI, known as "Shahab al-Mohajer", was appointed as the leader or governor of ISIS. Ghaffari, who was previously described as being responsible for urban attacks of the Haqqani Network in Kabul, has mysteriously risen to leadership of ISIS. Shahab al-Muhajir is currently considered the leader of ISIS-Khorasan, and the leadership of ISIS-Khorasan is governed by a council of several people, the names of some of its high-ranking members are listed below:
Abu Abdurahman is the emir of Kunar province and an ISIS influencer, while Sultan Aziz is also the head of the ISIS intelligence and propaganda department, that is, he is the group’s deputy for intelligence and urban operations. Also, Mehrab Tajiki from Tajikistan and a few other people are at the senior level of this group.
At the moment, all the attention of ISIS-Khorasan is focused on Iran. ISIS is trying to create nuclei in the areas of Sistan and Balochistan and wants to create a vicegerency of Fars in the province of Khorasan. The second goal of ISIS-Khorasan is for the countries of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which want to declare in these areas the so-called vicegerency of Movarounnahr of the province of Khorasan.
End of report
More details from Sangar: On November 23, 2021, the Afghan National Security Directorate announced the arrest of 4 people involved in the destruction of power poles in Kabul, saying that these people tried to destroy them on the orders of Sanaullah, known as Shahab al-Muhajar, the leader Khorasan branch of ISIS. They were ordered to disrupt the operation of hospitals, the operation of industrial centres, and strategic facilities, and the operation of daily life in the capital and other provinces.
But this information was not new: the Russian information resource Sputnik previously reported that the leader of ISIS-Khorasan, Dr Shahab Al-Muhajir, from the Tajikized Pashtuns of the Haruti tribe in the village of Saray Haja, Kuhdoman district of Parwan province, is a relative of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hezb-e-Islami of Afghanistan.
Guzorishnomai Afgoniston, the website of renowned journalist Razzaq Mamoun, published more details about the leader of the ISIS branch on September 3, 2020.
Engineer Sanaullah graduated from the Kabul Polytechnic Institute and belongs to a wealthy family from Shimali (this is the name of the territory of the northern part of the province of Kabul, as well as the provinces of Kapisa, Parwan, and Panjshir), whose father was a party member of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. He and hundreds of other young people in northern Kabul studied with Mullah Tajmuhammad.
Years ago, Mullah Tajmuhammad set up Salafi schools in northern Kabul with Saudi money to recruit local youth. Sanaullah was also one of those recruited into this Salafi circle.
Later, engineer Sanaullah, through the mediation of Mullah Tajmuhammad, married the daughter of engineer Shakir (one of the former commanders of Hizbi Islami), a well-known Salafi in Shakradar, in order to strengthen the bonds of cooperation.
It was said that many young people from the northern, northeastern, and eastern provinces, and even Bamiyan were recruited into this group. The spiritual leader of all of them was Mullah Tajmuhammad, and Sanaullah (Shahab Al-Muhajir) was their military commander.
On June 6, 2023, the Taliban Security Directorate announced a "major operation" against ISIS in the Sarkanai district of Kunar province, which killed 14 ISIS members. The purpose of this operation was to kill or capture Sanaullah Ghafari and ISIS Khorasan spokesman Sultan Aziz Azam.
Pakistani media reported the death of Shahab al-Muhajir on June 9, citing Taliban and Pakistani intelligence officials. However, the Taliban have not officially confirmed the news.
