ISLAMABAD:
Pakistani intelligence agencies have raided the nerve center of the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), arresting its public face and propaganda architect in an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a move that has disrupted the group’s media apparatus and weakened its cross-border reach, it emerged on Thursday.
The arrest of Sultan Aziz Azzam, which took place months ago but was kept secret for operational reasons, has had immediate consequences for IS-K’s ability to sustain its propaganda-driven model.
Authorities said the arrest led to the suspension of key media platforms linked to the group, undermining recruitment channels and weakening its ability to formulate narratives, issue operational signals and inspire lone or coordinated attacks.
Security officials said the Al-Azaim Foundation was a central pillar of IS-K’s propaganda ecosystem, responsible for recruitment messages, ideological dissemination and operational signaling.
They said its closure has weakened the group’s ability to communicate with its followers and coordinate narratives.
Azzam was arrested on May 16, 2025, as part of a broader campaign by Pakistani authorities against ISIS-K networks. Several high-profile arrests have been made against the group in recent weeks, reflecting the intensification of counter-terrorism operations.
Meanwhile, the impact of these actions has also been recognized internationally. The 16th report of the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring and Analytical Support Team noted that Pakistan’s operations have weakened IS-K’s organizational structure globally.
The report said that several planned terrorist attacks were foiled and that the number of militants affiliated with the group had decreased.
The UN report further highlighted that the arrest of Sultan Aziz Azzam, along with senior ISIS-K leader Abu Yasir al-Turki, in May 2025, significantly reduced the group’s operational strength.
As a consequence of these arrests, ISIS-K’s main propaganda platforms, including the Voice of Khorasan, have also been suspended, further restricting the group’s ability to project power and maintain recruitment.
“In general, the ability of [IS-K] “It has been downgraded as a result of counter-terrorism operations,” the UN report says. [IS-K] commanders and ideologues have been neutralized and the number of [IS-K] It is likely that the combatants have been reduced. “Several planned attacks have been thwarted.”
The report notes that IS-K’s ability to operate freely on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been restricted. However, it also cast doubt on the Afghan Taliban’s claims that no militant group operates from Afghan soil.
“The Taliban maintains that no terrorist group operates in or from Afghanistan,” the report states. “However, reports from Member States indicate that a number of terrorist groups still operate in the country, with varying degrees of autonomy and supervision by the Taliban authorities.”
He further warned of alarming recruitment practices in border regions, stating: “In northern Afghanistan and areas near the borders with Pakistan, [IS-K] He is reported to have indoctrinated children into madresahs, establishing a suicide training course for minors around 14 years of age.”
In a letter dated December 8, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, formally requested that the report be distributed to members of the UN Security Council.
According to the UNSC, Sultan Aziz Azzam has been a spokesperson for IS-K since the group emerged in Afghanistan in 2015. Islamabad-based security platform The Khorasan Diary has described him as the group’s second-in-command, while the European Council has identified him as the operator of IS-K’s media arm, Al-Azaim Media.
Writing for the Jamestown Foundation’s Militant Leadership Monitor, analyst Shan A Zain noted that Azzam was born in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and had worked for at least three local radio stations before becoming IS-K’s main propagandist. He had also written books and poetry.
One of his main works, Travelers of the Labyrinth, recounts the alleged experiences of IS fighters in the Spin Ghar Mountains. Excerpts from the book were circulated on Telegram platforms frequented by potential recruits.
“Sultan Aziz Azzam is credited with recruiting IS members to carry out high-profile attacks in Afghanistan,” Zain wrote. “He has written several books and articles telling stories about [fighters] to inspire people to join the ranks of ISIS.
The UNSC has described Azzam as a central figure in amplifying the ideological reach of IS-K. “As [IS-K’s] As spokesperson, Azam has played a pivotal role in spreading ISIL’s violent…ideology, glorifying and justifying terrorist acts,” the organization’s website states.
“Taking advantage of his previous experience as an Afghan journalist, his activity as [IS-K’s] The spokesperson has increased [IS-K’s] visibility and influence among his followers.”
Azzam had claimed responsibility on behalf of IS-K for the August 26, 2021 suicide bombing near Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. He also released ISIS statements following the murder of three journalists on March 2, 2021 and a major attack on a prison in Jalalabad on August 3, 2020.
