The Daesh group that claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus theater on Friday City Hall, in Moscow is of Afghan origin and was founded in 2014. It quickly gained a reputation for being the site of extremely violent attacks. It reached its maximum number of members in 2018. It has since declined due to clashes with the US and the Taliban.
However, Americans continue to view ISIS-K as a serious threat. Just last year, a US general predicted the group’s attacks outside Afghanistan “in about six months and without much warning,” Michael Kurilla said.
The group has a long history of attacks, especially at mosques. This year, the United States intercepted communications from the group reporting two bombings that killed about 100 people in Iran.
Although the Moscow attack is seen as an escalation of exaggerated proportions, experts believe that ISIS-K has long been entrenched in Putin’s Russia. “ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, often criticizing Putin in propaganda,” said Colin Clark of the Soufan Center, a research group in New York.
Michael Kugelman of the Washington-based Wilson Center said ISIS-K “views Russia as complicit in activities that routinely oppress Muslims.” The group also includes militants from Central Asia who have special grievances against Moscow, he added.
Americans abilityIntelligence development against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as ISIS-X has slowed since the withdrawal of troops from the country in 2021. The military sees the “broad outline” of an imminent attack, but lacks the specific details it ever was. did.
massacre
The shooting in the Russian capital left at least 143 people dead and 145 injured. The Crocus City Hall theater caught fire, the roof collapsed, and 100 people had to be evacuated from the building.
More than 50 ambulance crews and a helicopter were mobilized for the massacre.
11 detainees
In total, security services detained 11 people, four of whom were directly involved in the massacre. The four detained shooters are not Russian citizens, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
This Saturday, Daesh published a photo of the alleged perpetrators of the attack.