- Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
Terrorists' Selfie
Islamic State terrorists' selfie
commemorating killing & injuring over 300 Russian Christians
on 03-22-24, non-commercial use
"The four men wear black baseball caps and as they point to the sky in a gesture relating to belief in one god - UNPIXS, © Provided by The Telegraph
"Islamic State published a photo of the four attackers it said had “dealt a strong blow to Russia with a bloody attack” on Saturday, in a post detailing how it planned and conducted the assault on a Moscow concert hall that claimed more than 130 lives (on Friday evening, 03-22-24)
"In the picture, which was released on Islamic State’s official news agency Amaq, the four men are wearing black baseball caps and face scarfs and are pointing to the sky with one finger.
"The gesture has become associated with Islamic State and refers to the Muslim belief that there is only one god.
"In the background is an Islamic State poster with the group’s name in black and white."
"The men carried out “an intensive monitoring operation” before the attack, according to the statement.
"They were armed with machine guns, knives and bombs and sought to inflict as much damage as possible on the “large crowd of Christians”.
"Russian media reported that the attack suspects were from Tajikistan, a Muslim Central Asian country – formerly part of the Soviet Union – that borders Afghanistan, where Islamic State is active.
"Islamic State claimed that the attack killed or injured at least 300 people in total.
"It said the motive was “the raging war between the Islamic State and countries fighting Islam”.
"Although the Telegram post did not attribute the attack to a specific branch of IS, the US believes it was conducted by members of the Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K. American security sources, including a senior counterterrorism official, have confirmed as such to the New York Times.
"IS-K is an offshoot of the terror group active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
What is IS-K?
"IS-K is named after an old term for the Khorasan region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
"It emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.
"In its earliest days, the group had wide-ranging priorities, including toppling the Pakistani government, punishing the Iranian government for supporting the Shia Muslim world, and to “purify” Afghanistan, including by pushing out the Taliban as the main jihadi movement, according to the Wilson Center, a US think tank.
"The group’s priorities have expanded in recent years to include the US government.
"One of the most active regional affiliates of the IS militant group, IS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and US forces inflicted heavy losses.
"The US government has said its ability to develop intelligence against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as IS-K has been reduced since the withdrawal of US troops from the country in 2021.
"Why would IS-K attack Russia?
Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K, is based in Afghanistan and has in recent years focused much ire on Russia, which it blames for killing Muslims given Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Syria and Chechnya." ...
