In this video, West Point Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Assistant Professor Dr. Amira Jadoon provides a virtual talk on “Understanding the Rise and Resilience of Islamic State Khorasan in Afghanistan.” Despite significant challenges, in the five years since its emergence, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) has managed to successfully embed itself within the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, unleash a wave of terrorism, and endure despite intensive counterterrorism efforts. Between 2015 and 2018, counterterrorism efforts against the group resulted in significant leadership losses, amounting to a total of 548 leaders, including four of its emirs. Yet, the group persists; in 2018, ISK made its mark as one of the top four most lethal groups in the world and continues to threaten Afghanistan's security in 2020.
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