In major blow to IS-K, Pakistan nabs group's propaganda chief

Sultan Aziz Azzam arrested in operation near Pak-Afghan border

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistani intelligence agencies have struck at the nerve centre of 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 detention of Sultan Aziz Azzam, which took place months ago but was kept under wraps for operational reasons, has had immediate consequences for IS-K's ability to sustain its propaganda-driven model.

Officials said the arrest led to the suspension of key media platforms linked to the group, undercutting recruitment pipelines and weakening its capacity to frame 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 messaging, ideological dissemination and operational signalling.

They said its shutdown has weakened the group's ability to communicate with followers and coordinate narratives.

Azzam was detained on May 16, 2025, as part of a broader campaign by Pakistani authorities targeting ISIS-K networks. In recent weeks, several high-profile arrests have been carried out against the group, reflecting intensified counterterrorism operations.

Meanwhile, the impact of these actions has also been acknowledged internationally. The 16th report of the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team noted that Pakistan's operations have weakened IS-K's organisational structure at the global level.

The report said that several planned terrorist attacks were foiled and that the number of militants affiliated with the group had declined.

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, major ISIS-K propaganda platforms, including Voice of Khorasan, have also been suspended, further constricting the group's ability to project power and sustain recruitment.

"Overall, the capability of [IS-K] has been degraded as a result of counter-terrorism operations," the UN report said. "Key [IS-K] commanders and ideologues have been neutralised, and the numbers of [IS-K] fighters have likely been reduced. Several plotted attacks have been disrupted."

The report observed that IS-K's ability to operate freely on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been curtailed. However, it also cast doubt on claims by the Afghan Taliban that no militant groups operate from Afghan soil.

"The Taliban contend that no terrorist groups operate in or from Afghanistan," the report stated. "Member state reporting, however, indicates that a range of terrorist groups still operate in the country, with varying degrees of autonomy and oversight from Taliban authorities."

It further warned of alarming recruitment practices in border regions, stating: "In North Afghanistan and areas close to the Pakistani borders, [IS-K] is reported to have indoctrinated children in madressahs, 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 circulated among members of the UN Security Council.

According to the UNSC, Sultan Aziz Azzam has served as IS-K's spokesperson 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 chief propagandist. He had also authored books and poetry.

One of his major works, Travellers of the Maze, recounts the purported experiences of IS fighters in the Spin Ghar mountains. Excerpts from the book were circulated on Telegram platforms frequented by prospective recruits.

"Sultan Aziz Azzam has been credited with recruiting IS members to carry out high-profile attacks in Afghanistan," Zain wrote. "He has written several books and articles narrating stories about [fighters] in order to inspire people to join IS ranks."

The UNSC has described Azzam as a central figure in amplifying IS-K's ideological reach. "As [IS-K's] spokesperson, Azam has played an instrumental role in spreading ISIL's violent ... ideology, glorifying and justifying terrorist acts," the organisation's website states.

"Building on his former experience as an Afghan journalist, his activity as [IS-K's] spokesperson has increased [IS-K's] visibility and influence among its 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 disseminated IS-K statements following the killing of three female journalists on March 2, 2021, and a major prison attack in Jalalabad on August 3, 2020.