UN report confirms arrest of IS-K spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azzam by Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities arrested Sultan Aziz Azzam, a key spokesperson of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), earlier this year, according to a recent report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The UN’s 16th report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said IS-K’s operational capability in the region has been significantly weakened due to high-profile counterterrorism actions by Pakistan, including Azzam’s arrest from the border region in May.

State-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported that intelligence agencies apprehended Azzam during an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The report added that his arrest dealt a major blow to IS-K’s propaganda network, particularly its media arm, the Al-Azaim Foundation.

“Overall, the capability of [IS-K] has been degraded as a result of counter-terrorism operations,” the UN report said, noting that several senior commanders and ideologues had been neutralised, fighter numbers reduced, and planned attacks disrupted.

While acknowledging that IS-K’s cross-border operations have been curtailed, the report rejected Taliban claims that no terrorist groups operate from Afghan soil. It stated that multiple militant organisations continue to function in Afghanistan with varying levels of autonomy. The report further warned that IS-K has reportedly indoctrinated children in madressahs in northern Afghanistan and areas near the Pakistani border, including training minors for suicide attacks.

On December 8, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, formally requested that the findings be circulated among members of the Security Council.

According to the UNSC, Azzam has served as IS-K’s spokesperson since the group emerged in Afghanistan in 2015. Islamabad-based platform The Khorasan Diary described him as the group’s second-in-command, while the European Council said he oversaw IS-K’s media operations.

Analysts note that Azzam, a native of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, previously worked as a journalist and radio presenter before becoming IS-K’s chief propagandist. He authored books and poetry aimed at radicalising and recruiting fighters, including Travelers of the Maze, which glorified IS militants operating in the Spin Ghar mountains.

The UNSC said Azzam played a central role in amplifying IS-K’s violent ideology and claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks, including the August 26, 2021 suicide bombing near Kabul airport. He also circulated IS-K messages following deadly attacks in Afghanistan between 2020 and 2021.

The report concludes that Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations have significantly disrupted IS-K’s leadership and propaganda machinery, though the group continues to pose a regional security threat.