One of the suspects in the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, which left over 140 people dead in March, allegedly received militant training in Afghanistan under the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), according to case documents reviewed by Russian state news agency TASS.
The suspect, identified as Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, is believed to have entered Afghanistan on a fake passport through Taliban-controlled territory. Investigators say he first travelled from Turkey to Pakistan and then crossed into Afghanistan, where he reportedly underwent weapons and explosives training with ISKP operatives.
Russian investigators have not disclosed the exact location of the alleged training camp, but security officials told TASS that it was situated in an area under Taliban administration. ISKP, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, has long been active in eastern Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, carrying out cross-border attacks and targeting both local and foreign interests.
Rachabalizoda is one of several individuals currently in custody in connection with the Crocus City Hall attack, which has been described as the deadliest terrorist incident in Russia in nearly two decades. The attack — involving armed assailants who opened fire on concertgoers before setting the venue ablaze — was claimed by ISKP through its propaganda channels.
Russian authorities have intensified international cooperation with counter-terrorism agencies in the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia in a bid to trace the suspects’ movements and dismantle the network behind the Moscow assault. Officials say investigations are ongoing to determine whether the Afghan training link indicates wider operational coordination between ISKP elements in South and Central Asia.
Security experts note that the alleged Pakistan-Afghanistan transit route reflects known patterns of ISKP recruitment and training, particularly for operatives from Central Asia. The group has previously been implicated in plots beyond the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, raising concerns about its ability to project attacks overseas.
