‘Islamic State Shifting Base To Afghanistan Poses A Threat To India As Well’, Cautions Iranian Foreign Minister

Even as the Islamic State’s (IS) terror apparatus in Iraq and Syria has been facing decimation, with the its so-called caliph Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi being killed in a recent US operation, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has cautioned that the group is now relocating its base of operations to Afghanistan, and the same poses a threat to India as well, reports India Today.

"The revival of IS (also known as Daesh) is the source of common concern between India, Iran and Pakistan. The terror outfit is moving its base from Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan. There are territories within Afghanistan that are of great concern for everyone. The threat is not faced by just one country, but the entire region," Zarif stated.

He expressed his belief that the group is a threat to Russia and China as well. Zarif called for a unified approach to combat the group’s spread to the region. The Iranian minister also pointed out to recent attacks in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan carried out by IS modules based in Afghanistan.

Zarif added that Iran is constantly in touch with the Indian side over this issue, as well as with other regional powers.

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of Indian Islamic fanatics, especially from Kerala, travelling to Afghanistan to join up with IS fighters there. The trend is cause for concern for Indian intelligence agencies tracking the emergence of this new threat.