A major threat for the future?: The mobilizing force of Islamic State Khorasan in Afghanistan between 2015 and 2023

Abstract

This study examines the mobilization of Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) in Afghanistan from 2015 to 2023, exploring its evolution against the backdrop of Afghanistan's complex socio-political, - economic, and -cultural landscape. The devastating suicide bombing at Kabul airport (Afghanistan) on 26 August 2021, claimed by ISK, underscores the group's lethal capability and rising prominence. Despite its recognition as a significant terrorist threat, ISK received limited scholarly attention, especially regarding its mobilization process. This research aims to bridge this gap by utilizing the analytical lens of Social Movement Theory, combined with a critical realistic approach alongside qualitative methodologies, involving the analysis of secondary data from diverse academic sources. The study examines various aspects of ISK's mobilization process. The first chapter sets the historical context of Afghanistan from approximately 1980 to 2015, helping to understand the emergence of ISK and providing a societal context important for the further analysis. The second chapter analyses the influence of the Afghan political conditions on the creation of political opportunities helping ISK to pursue collective action. The third chapter discusses the importance of financial, human, socialorganizational, cultural, and moral resources in ISK's mobilizing activities and influence. The fourth chapter explores the socio-cultural factors influencing ISK's recruitment and (legitimization of) collective action, revealing how the group leverages cultural means and mechanisms to foster a powerful sense of solidarity and legitimacy among its members. By shedding light on the movement of ISK and other militant groups in Afghanistan, this study contributes to the theoretical understanding of social movements and collective action. The research finds that ISK's mobilization is a confluence of historical events, political opportunities, socio-economic resource structures, and socio-cultural influences, thereby offering critical insights for policymakers and practitioners of conflict and movement analysis. It emphasizes the need for strategies able to address grievances, disrupt resource networks, counter extremist propaganda, and understand the socio-political and socio-cultural fabric exploited by radical groups. Adopting multifaceted, integrated approaches seems the only way to tackle the emergence and appeal of militant extremism and terrorism.