Afghanistan Content Report

March 15–21, 2025

Table of contents

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 487, Published March 20, 2025
2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter
3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements
4. Pro-ISIS Al-Battar Media/Fursan Al Tarjuma Infographic, Released on March 17, 2025
5. Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Statement, Released March 18, 2025
6. Al-Azaim Media Infographic, Released March 19, 2025

Main points (Pro-ISIS Online Chatter)

Afghanistan

• U.S. negotiators have been meeting with Taliban officials in Kabul to arrange an alleged U.S. return to the country.
  • The U.S. delegation “received information and delivered orders to the Taliban” in Kabul.
• The Council of the European Union added the ISIS-K-linked Al-Azaim Media Foundation to the list of entities associated with ISIS.
• Unidentified individuals attacked Taliban soldiers in Helmand.

Pakistan

• ISIS claimed responsibility for killing Abdul Baqi Noorzai, a senior leader in Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, in Quetta.
• Mufti Munir Shakir, the founder of Lashkar-i-Islam, died in Peshawar of wounds from a grenade attack.
• Unidentified individuals killed “the deputy leader of” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in Attock, Punjab.
• Unidentified gunmen killed a tribal leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
• 11 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded in an attack on a convoy by unidentified individuals in the Nushki district of Balochistan. 

1. ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter Edition 487, Published March 20, 2025

• There were no ISIS-K news items in this week’s al-Naba.

2. Pro-ISIS Online Chatter

• March 15: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Mufti Munir Shakir, the founder of Lashkar-i-Islam, died in Peshawar of wounds from a grenade attack. The post claimed that Shakir was a “prominent advocate of Shiite Islam in Pakistan” despite Lashkar-i-Islam being a Sunni Deobandi organization.

“#Pakistan. A prominent figure in misguidance died in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, from wounds sustained in a grenade attack. It is worth noting that the deceased was a prominent advocate of Shiite Islam in Pakistan.”

• March 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Abdul Baqi Noorzai, a senior leader in Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Quetta. ISIS claimed credit for this attack on March 17.

“#Pakistan. Abdul Baqi Noorzai, a leader of the Islamic Democratic Ulema Party [Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam], falsely affiliated with Islam, was killed in an assassination attempt carried out by gunmen in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan.”

• March 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that 11 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded in an attack on a convoy in the Nushki district of Balochistan. The post does not contain information about the perpetrators.

“Urgent. Eleven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 21 others were injured when their bus and seven military vehicles were ambushed. The attack began with a suicide car bomb, followed by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. The attack occurred in the Nushki district of Balochistan.”

• March 16: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified individuals killed an anti-terrorism officer and six other people in an attack on a vehicle in Quetta.

“Urgent. An anti-terrorism officer was killed and six other [people] were injured when their vehicle was targeted by an explosive device in the Pakistani city of Quetta.”

• March 17: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram listing the reasons why ISIS killed Abdul Baqir Noorzai, claiming that he “chose the path of democracy” and supported secular governments. The post claimed that “democracy, in all its forms, is nothing but blatant blasphemy, as it makes the tyrant the legislator instead of God and rules by” human-made law and not divine law. The post noted that “Noorzai was targeted as a result of his betrayal of religion,” his support for the Pakistani government, and alleged ties to the West. The post noted that this attack occurred “at a time of escalating fighting in Balochistan” between multiple factions, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, religious factions, and the government.

“#Important_Details_About_Him. #Deserved_Punishment_for_Those_Warning_God's_Sharia.

“#Who_Is_AbdulBaqir_Noorzai? Noorzai was one of the symbols of the Hizb Ulema-e-Islam [Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam], a political party that hides behind Islam. However, he chose the path of democracy and the path of the tyrant, who places governance and legislation in the hands of humans instead of resorting to God’s sharia. The party has long been part of successive Pakistani governments, allied with secular and nationalist forces, making it a tool in the hands of the infidel regime, used to mislead people and prevent them from ruling according to what God has revealed.

“#Democracy_The Religion of Infidelity. Noorzai was merely a front for this deviant party, operating within a corrupt democratic system that places legislation in the hands of humans instead of God alone. Democracy, in all its forms, is nothing but blatant blasphemy, as it makes the tyrant the legislator instead of God, and rules by other than what God has revealed. Therefore, anyone who promotes or advocates it [democracy] is fighting God’s religion and deserves the just punishment they meted out to him.

“#Why_Was_He_Targeted? According to the statement of the [ISIS] State of Pakistan, Noorzai was targeted as a result of his betrayal of religion, his support for the infidel Pakistani regime, and even his ties to the Western forces that support this apostate regime. He was not just a politician; he was an enemy of Islam, fighting Sharia in the name of ‘moderation,’ calling for rule by man-made laws, and refusing to implement God’s law on earth. Therefore, eliminating him is a duty for everyone who seeks to support God’s religion and enforce its law.

“#Balochistan_A Battlefield Against the Enemies of God. This operation came at a time of escalating fighting in Balochistan, where various forces are clashing, including an infidel government, deviant parties claiming to be Islamic, and separatist movements. Meanwhile, the people of truth remain the ones striving to establish the religion and fight the apostates who ally with the enemies of God.

“#Conclusion. The killing of Noorzai is nothing but a message to all those who choose to stand against Islam or seek the rule of tyranny and infidel democracy. As God Almighty says: ‘And God will never grant the disbelievers a way over the believers’ [An-Nisa 141]. Those who deceive people in the name of Islam while allying themselves with the enemies of God deserve nothing but the sword as recompense for their betrayal of religion and their war against God’s law.”

• March 18: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming that unidentified individuals attacked Taliban soldiers in Helmand.

“Urgent. Armed attack targets Afghan Taliban forces at the entrance to Helmand province.”

• March 18: Pro-ISIS post on Element commenting on the killing of Abdul Baqi Noorzai in Quetta.

• March 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram noting that the Council of the European Union added the ISIS-K-linked Al-Azaim Media Foundation to the list of entities associated with ISIS. The March 17 statement from the EU declared Al-Azaim to be the media branch of ISIS-K. See https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/17/isil-da-esh-and-al-qaeda-the-council-adds-one-entity-to-its-autonomous-list-of-sanctions/. 

“#Report. The European Union has banned the [ISIS-K-linked] Al-Azaim organization and has considered any financial or physical support to this organization a crime.

“The infidels, their henchmen, and supporters are gathered in one camp, and the believers in another camp, and all the enemies are united in the war against the believers.

“The crusaders have an enmity that they can no longer hide in their chests, and they have not yet put flowers in their hearts [sic].

“The aid packages to the Taliban will increase from the European organization because the Taliban are more severe than the Crusaders in their hostility to the Al-Azaim organization.”

• March 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified gunmen killed a tribal leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

“Urgent: Gunmen assassinate a local tribal leader while he was inside a shop in the Pakistani city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

• March 19: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that on 65 days in 2025, there were attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, leading to the deaths of 26 police officers and the wounding of 31 others. The post noted that there were 29 attacks in January, 24 in February, and 15 in the first half of March. The number does not add up to 65, likely accounting for multiple attacks on the same day.

“Follow-ups. In 65 days of this year, 26 police officers were killed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while 31 were injured. January witnessed 29 attacks targeting police, while February saw 24 attacks. This month saw 15 attacks in the first half.”

• March 20: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that Pakistani intelligence “brokers” will be mourned as heroes in Pakistan.

Text: “Anyone who takes up arms against the state is a terrorist: Maulana Fazal ur Rehman.”

“#Report. If the ISI brokers are killed tomorrow, the patriotic movements will rise again and call them martyrs of the nation.”

• March 21: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that U.S. negotiators have been meeting with Taliban officials in Kabul to arrange a potential U.S. return to the country. The post claimed that the U.S. would continue to send money to the Taliban in exchange for certain concessions. 

“Follow-ups. For three days, American officials have been holding meetings with leaders of the Afghan National Taliban movement in Kabul. On the first day of the meeting, the movement released an American detainee without any conditions. The movement spread misleading news that it was negotiating with America through force. Today, it was revealed that the detainee was released without any compensation. America even ordered the movement to hand over Bagram Air Base, which houses a large camp, an airstrip, and a prison filled with Afghans accused of terrorism. The [Taliban] movement agreed, according to the news, to hand over the base, which the CIA will operate under special American military protection. In return, America will continue to support the movement with dollars, which have reached approximately $2 trillion. Trump suspended this support two months ago until America’s conditions were met. We do not know which banner of victory they are referring to? [sic]”

• March 21: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram claiming to show Taliban leaders and soldiers posing for a photo with U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad at Kabul Airport.

“Monitoring. A commemorative photo shows the joy of Taliban leaders and soldiers as they stand next to the American political and intelligence delegation led by Zalmay Khalilzad at Kabul Airport.”

• March 21: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that the U.S. delegation, “received information and delivered orders to the Taliban” in Kabul.

“Monitoring. Sources: The U.S. delegation mostly discussed the Taliban’s efforts to combat terrorism. Two senior CIA officers [referring to Adam Boehler, United States Special Envoy for Hostage Response], attended the meeting, received information, and delivered orders to the Taliban.”

• March 21: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram stating that unidentified individuals killed “the deputy leader of” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in Attock, Punjab.

“Urgent. An armed attack targeted the deputy leader of the Pakistan Ulema-e-Islam Party after he left a party center [sic] in the Attock area of ​​Punjab province, resulting in his death.”

• March 21: Pro-ISIS post on Telegram of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam deputy leader killed in Attock. The post stated that if ISIS was responsible, “then this is a new [geographic] expansion” of the group’s operations. ISIS has previously operated in Pakistan’s Punjab province, so the idea of this being a “new expansion” may be incorrect.

“Update. Photo of the leader. If terrorism [ISIS] is behind the targeting of the leader, then this is a new expansion, and this is the first security attack in the area [of] Attock district in Punjab province.”

3. ISIS Amaq/Nashir Statements

• March 17: ISIS claims to have killed an official of the Pakistani political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in Quetta. Please note that the Nashir claim of responsibility below notes this attack as being committed in Pakistan and not Khurasan.

“Province of Pakistan. By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate targeted an official of the apostate political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in the city of Quetta, Balochistan, yesterday with a pistol, leading to his death. Praise be to God.”

4. Pro-ISIS Al-Battar Media/Fursan Al Tarjuma Infographic, Released on March 17, 2025

5. Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Statement, Released March 18, 2025

• The release condemns the killing of Islamic clerics and scholars by ISIS in Pakistan. The statement claims that the Pakistani government and the U.S. are the “masterminds” behind these attacks.

6. Al-Azaim Media Infographic, Released March 19, 2025

• The infographic condemns the United Nations. This was released two days after the European Union added Al-Azaim to the list of ISIS entities.