Overview

Maulawi Rajab is a U.S.-designated senior leader in Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), ISIS’s affiliate in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, ISIS-K has become a prominent threat in the region, launching a series of high-casualty attacks targeting American nationals, the Taliban, and minority Afghan groups.“Letter dated 21 January 2021 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council, February 3, 2021, https://undocs.org/en/S/2021/68. On November 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Rajab as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a Specially Designated National (SDN), respectively for his role in ISIS-K.“Taking Action Against ISIS-K,” U.S. Department of State, November 22, 2021, https://www.state.gov/taking-action-against-isis-k/; “Counter Terrorism Designations, Designations Updates and Designations Removals; Syria Designations Updates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 22, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20211122.

According to media sources, Rajab reportedly plans ISIS-K’s attacks and operations. Additionally, Rajab commands ISIS-K groups that conduct attacks in Kabul.“Taking Action Against ISIS-K,” U.S. Department of State, November 22, 2021, https://www.state.gov/taking-action-against-isis-k/.

ISIS-K claimed its first attack on Afghan forces in September 2015 when it killed three policemen at a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan.Rahim Faiez and Lynne O’Donnel, “IS loyalists kill 3 police in first attack on Afghan forces,” Associated Press, September 27, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4407127095a4444ab25ac5d71dc86b9d/afghan-official-islamic-state-fighters-kill-3-police. The group has since continued to carry out deadly attacks and threatens the region.Sune Engel Rasmussen, “Isis in Afghanistan: ‘Their peak is over, but they are not finished,’” Guardian (London), November 18, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/18/isis-in-afghanistan-their-peak-is-over-but-they-are-not-finished. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, ISIS-K launched two bombings and a shooting at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26. The attack killed as many as 170 people and 13 U.S. service members were killed, with an additional 200 wounded.Jamie Johnson and Catherine Neilan, “Afghanistan explosion: At least 13 feared dead in double bomb attack at Kabul airport,” Telegraph, August 26, 2021, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/08/26/afghanistan-threat-attack-kabul-airport-severe-imminent-warns/; Yuliya Talmazan, Mushtaq Yusufzai, Courtney Kube and Andrea Mitchell, “Multiple U.S. service members killed in explosions outside Kabul airport amid evacuations,” NBC News, August 26, 2021, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/high-threat-terror-attack-disrupts-kabul-airport-evacuations-biden-deadline-n1277670; Yaroslav Trofimov, Sune Engel Rassmussen, and Vivian Salama, “Kabul Airport Explosions Kill Four U.S. Marines, at Least 60 Afghans,” Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-kabul-airport-explosion-11629976397; “Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly Kabul airport attack,” Reuters, August 26, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-kabul-airport-attack-2021-08-26/; Claire Parker, “World leaders, Taliban condemn attack near Kabul airport,” Washington Post, August 26, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/26/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-live-updates/; “Afghanistan Live Updates: Flights Resume at Kabul Airport After Deadly Attack,” New York Times, August 27, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/27/world/afghanistan-taliban-biden-news. ISIS-K has since then carried out high-casualty attacks targeting Shiite mosques as well as former and current Taliban officials.

Although the Taliban has asserted that they will take on defeating ISIS-K themselves, ISIS-K has continued to carry out high casualty attacks. ISIS-K has regularly targeted the minority Shiite community in Afghanistan, and in October, the group conducted two suicide bombings against Shiite mosques. One attack killed 43 at the Shiite Sayed mosque in Kunduz, and the other attack killed 47 at the Imam Barga mosque, the largest Shiite mosque in Kandahar.Clarissa Ward, Tim Lister and Ehsan Popalzai, “Blast targeting Kabul mosque leaves 'a number of civilians dead,' Taliban spokesman says,” CNN, October 4, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/03/asia/kabul-afghanistan-blast-intl/index.html; Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Wali Arian, “ISIS Bomber Kills Dozens at Shiite Mosque in Northern Afghanistan,” New York Times, October 8, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/world/asia/afghanistan-mosque-attack.html.

Given Rajab’s high-ranking status within ISIS-K, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Rajab as an SDGT and SDN, respectively, on November 22, 2021.“Taking Action Against ISIS-K,” U.S. Department of State, November 22, 2021, https://www.state.gov/taking-action-against-isis-k/; “Counter Terrorism Designations, Designations Updates and Designations Removals; Syria Designations Updates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 22, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20211122. Rajab presumably remains a significant threat to international security as the United Nations Security Council added Rajab to its sanctions list on April 26, 2023.“Maulawi Rajab,” United Nations Security Council, April 26, 2023, https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/maulawi-rajab. The U.K. followed suit and added Rajab to its sanctions list on April 27.“ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida,” Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, April 27, 2023, https://www.bma.bm/viewPDF/documents/2023-04-27-14-55-21-Financial-Sanctions-Update.-ISIL-Daesh-and-Al-Qaida.-27-April-2023.pdf.

Following the death of former ISIS-K emir Shahab al-Muhajir on June 8, 2023 in a Taliban-led operation in Kunar,Ayaz Gul, “IS-K Leader in Afghanistan Reported Dead,” Voice of America, June 9, 2023, https://www.voanews.com/a/is-k-leader-in-afghanistan-reported-dead-/7130444.html. it is uncertain if Rajab will be a contender as al-Muhajir’s successor.