Khalilullah Safi
Founder and director of the Afghanistan Peace Studies Organization (APSO)

On July 6, 2023, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) hosted a webinar focusing on two of the key terrorist threats emanating from the situation in Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is one of the most active regional affiliates of ISIS’s global network. ISKP remains in a complex relationship with the Taliban, in particular the powerful Haqqani Network and has operational ambitions that are not confined to Afghanistan. Furthermore, due to the symbiotic relationship of the Taliban movement with a wide range of terror groups, which the movement shelters and protects, as well as with the illegal drug industry in Afghanistan, the risks of aid diversion for the financing of terrorism and large-scale money laundering are significant. Therefore, more effective monitoring and control mechanisms should be introduced to mitigate these risks.

Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)

On July 6, 2023, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) hosted a webinar focusing on two of the key terrorist threats emanating from the situation in Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is one of the most active regional affiliates of ISIS’s global network. ISKP remains in a complex relationship with the Taliban, in particular the powerful Haqqani Network and has operational ambitions that are not confined to Afghanistan. Furthermore, due to the symbiotic relationship of the Taliban movement with a wide range of terror groups, which the movement shelters and protects, as well as with the illegal drug industry in Afghanistan, the risks of aid diversion for the financing of terrorism and large-scale money laundering are significant. Therefore, more effective monitoring and control mechanisms should be introduced to mitigate these risks.

Ambassador Edmund Fitton-Brown
Former Coordinator of the ISIL, Al-Qaeda and Taliban Monitoring Team of the United Nations Security Council, Member of the CEP Advisory Board

On July 6, 2023, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) hosted a webinar focusing on two of the key terrorist threats emanating from the situation in Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is one of the most active regional affiliates of ISIS’s global network. ISKP remains in a complex relationship with the Taliban, in particular the powerful Haqqani Network and has operational ambitions that are not confined to Afghanistan. Furthermore, due to the symbiotic relationship of the Taliban movement with a wide range of terror groups, which the movement shelters and protects, as well as with the illegal drug industry in Afghanistan, the risks of aid diversion for the financing of terrorism and large-scale money laundering are significant. Therefore, more effective monitoring and control mechanisms should be introduced to mitigate these risks.

Should I Go Or Should I Stay: Foreign Terrorist Fighter Mobilization After The Taliban’s Takeover In Afghanistan
Sofia Koller
Senior Research Analyst, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)

The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) hosted a webinar on Thursday, June 29, 2023, focusing on the reemerging security risks emanating from Afghanistan.

This webinar focused on two of the key regional and international terrorist threats emanating from the situation in Afghanistan. The first is the ongoing threat of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) that currently operate in Afghanistan and the latent threat of new FTF flows to the country. Secondly, the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent swift takeover of power by the Taliban, the traditional protectors of al-Qaeda-Core, sent a strong message to the international terrorist community that victory is possible.