At least 60 people were killed and 100 others injured in a horrific attack on a concert hall in the Russian capital Moscow. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. They are a branch of IS.
Five gunmen attacked Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on Friday (March 22) night. The terrorists used explosives as well as automatic weapons. 60 people were killed in a random attack in the crowd.
IS claimed responsibility in a post on social media Telegram after the incident. A US official later confirmed the matter.
ISIS was involved in this attack.
The full name of this branch of IS is Islamic State Khorasan. An area called Khorasan consists of parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan emerged in 2014 and gained notoriety as a brutal group. However, since 2018, their membership has decreased.
Islamic State Khorasan is notorious for attacking mosques and other structures inside and outside Afghanistan. At the beginning of this year, it is known that this branch of IS was responsible for the death of about 100 people in twin bomb attacks in Iran.
Attack on Russian embassy in Kabul in September 2022, attack on Kabul International Airport in 2021 – these are notable among their activities.
A couple of weeks before the attack in Moscow, Russia, the United States issued a security warning. On March 7, the US Embassy in Russia issued a security alert.
The warning said there were reports of extremists planning to attack large gatherings in Moscow. The warning also mentioned concerts among large gatherings. The warning also advised US citizens in Moscow to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours. In addition, a US military official said that ISIS may launch a major attack soon.
But what could be the reason behind the Russian attack?
According to analysts, the Islamic State has taken a stand against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past few years. They have repeatedly criticized Putin. In addition, IS does not like Russia’s participation in various activities against Muslims.
In addition to Russia, this branch of IS has attacked other US enemies Iran and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. According to analysts, ISIS is growing in power.
They may become strong enough to attack the United States in the future. In this regard, the United States is not doing much in practice even though it is vocal against IS. The country has claimed that after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, they cannot do much about IS. The US is not even in a position to put pressure on them.
