The United Nations Security Council has said that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) has approximately 2,000 fighters operating in Afghanistan.
In its latest report, the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Team stated that the leadership of ISIL-K is largely composed of Afghan Pashtuns, while a significant number of its fighters come from Central Asian countries.
According to the report, ISIL-K maintains opportunities links with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and disgruntled members of the Afghan Taliban.
The Monitoring Team said that the extent of ISIL-K’s penetration into Taliban structures remains unclear but is assessed to be widespread.
The report noted that ISIL-K has recruited around 600 volunteers from Central Asia, mainly from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Some of these individuals have traveled to Afghanistan, others have remained in their home countries, and some have been sent to Europe.
The committee said many of the recruits are between 17 and 18 years old, with the oldest reported to be 40. It added that most of them had no prior history of terrorist activity and were primarily radicalized through online religious networks.
The Monitoring Team also warned that ISIL-K has intensified efforts to recruit from local Afghan communities in order to establish “sleeper cells” and strengthen its capacity to conduct attacks beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
According to the report, in northern Afghanistan and areas close to the Pakistani border, ISIL-K has reportedly subjected children in religious schools to indoctrination and established suicide training programs for children as young as 14.
While the number of ISIL-K attacks in Afghanistan decreased in 2025, the group remains resilient and adaptable, the report said.
The Monitoring Team stated that ISIL-K continues to prioritise attacks against Shia communities, Taliban officials and foreign nationals in Afghanistan, while retaining both the intent and capability to carry out cross-border attacks.
The report also referred to the presence of other armed groups in Afghanistan, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Baluchistan Liberation Movement, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and other extremist organizations, describing their presence as a serious threat to regional and global security.
The Taliban have not yet responded to the latest UN Security Council report on the presence of ISIL-K and other armed groups in Afghanistan.
The group has previously rejected such reports, repeatedly claiming that it has eliminated ISIL-K in the country.
