Massacre in Moscow

IS province of Khorasan: More fanatical than the Taliban

Archive photo: Taliban fighters guard a military hospital in Kabul after an attack by the ISKP terrorist group that claimed 19 lives. Even the oppressive Taliban fundamentalists are not radical enough for their opponents.(Bild: APA/AFP/WAKIL KOHSAR)

Terror in Moscow: More than 130 concertgoers were shot dead by Islamists armed with assault rifles on Friday. That same evening, the terrorist organization IS claimed responsibility for the massacre. Terror experts consider this claim to be plausible. The USA named the IS offshoot "Islamic State - Khorasan Province" (ISKP) as the probable perpetrator and warned Putin's security authorities on March 7 about plans for an attack. But who is behind the group? Where are its origins, what does it want and what methods does it use? Krone+ explains the background.

The atrocities committed by the terrorist militia "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria - where Putin's troops finally came to the aid of dictator Assad - are still fresh in our minds when the next jihadist threat is revealed: the ISKP. The terrorist organization was founded a decade ago as an IS offshoot and has mainly operated in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, the Islamists have carried out numerous bloody attacks - and are considered the most important opponent of the ruling Taliban there. However, the terrorist group has recently expanded its area of operation.