In its most aggressive propaganda release to date, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) has directly urged Afghan Taliban fighters to abandon their ranks and join ISIS’s global terror agenda.
The message appears in the 9th edition of ISIS-K’s magazine Nida-e-Khorasan, published by its media arm Al-Azaim. The 83-page publication blends jihadist ideology with explicit threats aimed at Afghanistan, its neighbors, and major global powers including the United States, Russia, China, and members of the European Union.
ISIS-K accuses the Taliban of betrayal and softness toward the West and Islamic moderates, portraying itself as the only true vanguard of jihad.
“Leave the ranks of the apostates,” the magazine urges, “and join the caravan of sacrifice that will soon enter Isfahan, Jerusalem, Europe, America, China, and Russia.”
The group’s attempt to recruit from within the Taliban’s ranks signals growing tensions between rival extremist factions and underscores ISIS-K’s continued ambition to expand its presence beyond Afghanistan.
In addition to attacking the Taliban, the magazine also targets other jihadist leaders, notably Abu Muhammad al-Julani of Syria’s al-Nusra Front, accusing him of being “soft” on the West and “imitating the Taliban’s deviations.”
Analysts say this is part of a broader ISIS-K strategy: to discredit other militant movements and reassert itself as the spearhead of global jihad. The group, though weakened militarily, is doubling down on its ideological warfare through media, propaganda, and digital outreach.
Security experts warn that the group’s messaging—especially direct appeals to Taliban fighters—could further destabilize an already fragile Afghanistan, while sowing seeds of extremist violence beyond its borders.
ISIS-K’s return to such inflammatory messaging is not just a call to arms, but a test for regional and global counterterrorism efforts. As one observer put it:
“The battlefield may be quiet, but the ideological war is raging louder than ever.”
