Khorasan group

Not to be confused with Greater Khorasan or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province.
Khorasan group
خراسان (in Arabic)
Leaders
Dates of operationMarch 2012 – 2017[1]
Headquarters
Active regionsSyria Northwestern Syria
IdeologySalafism
Size50[12]
Part of al-Qaeda
Allies al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (2012–present)
Jund al-Aqsa (2014–17)[10]
Opponents U.S. Armed Forces
European Union
Syria Syria[14]
Russian Armed Forces
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Military intervention against ISIL

The Khorasan group, sometimes known simply as Khorasan, was an alleged group of senior al-Qaeda members operating in Syria.[15] The group is reported to consist of a small number of fighters who are all on terrorist watchlists, and coordinates with al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's official affiliate in Syria. At an intelligence gathering in Washington, D.C., on 18 September 2014, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stated that "in terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as ISIS."[16]

The term first appeared in news media in September 2014, although the United States had reportedly been keeping track of the group for two years.[17] By early November 2014, the term had disappeared from political rhetoric.[18] Commentators have stated that the threat the Khorasan Group represented was exaggerated to generate public support for American intervention in Syria, and some have questioned whether the group even exists as a distinct entity.[19]

On 28 May 2015, al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani explicitly denied the existence of the supposed Khorasan group.[20] The al-Nusra Front had received specific orders since at least early 2015 from al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to cease any activities related to attacking Western targets.[21]

In July 2015, both Muhsin al-Fadhli, said to be the operational leader of the group, and chief bombmaker David Drugeon, were killed by 2 US airstrikes.[22][23] After their deaths, FBI Director James Comey stated that the Khorasan group had become diminished, and that ISIL was now a bigger threat to the US.[24]

On 15 October 2015, a Coalition airstrike in northwest Syria killed Abdul Mohsen Adballah Ibrahim al Charekh (a.k.a. Sanafi al-Nasr), who was then the highest ranking leader of the Khorasan group.[25] He was the deputy leader of Khorasan before Muhsin al-Fadhli's death.[26]

Beginning in January 2017, it was reported that the US no longer referred to Khorasan fighters specifically, and that US officials no longer attempted to distinguish between Khorasan and al-Nusra Front militants, instead, labeling them all collectively as "al-Qaeda". Around this time, the US significantly increased the number of its airstrikes against al-Nusra Front and other al-Qaeda-affiliated targets.[27][28] After January 2017, the fate of the group was uncertain, as it had few fighters.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference npr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference foreignpolicy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Key al-Qaeda figure Muhsin al-Fadhli killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria - Pentagon". BNO News. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 5th Khorasan leader killed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference al-Qaeda deputy killed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference war was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Details of the mission against militants in Syria". Associated Press. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  8. ^ Herridge, Catherine (23 September 2014). "US strikes target Al Qaeda veterans in Syria plotting 'imminent attack'". Fox News. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Syria's Qaeda leader killed in explosion - ARA News". ARA News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  10. ^ a b "An internal struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is grappling with its identity". Brookings Institution. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  11. ^ Hudson, Valerie (30 June 2015). The Hillary Doctrine. Columbia University. p. 154. ISBN 9780231539104. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference abc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "The strange story behind the 'Khorasan' group's name". Washington Post. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Syrian Army Lays a Huge Ambush on the Khorasan Group in Latakia". Al-Masdar. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  15. ^ Karouny, Mariam (26 September 2014). "Insight - U.S.-led strikes pressure al Qaeda's Syria group to join with Islamic State". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  16. ^ Karl, Jonathan (23 September 2014). "Today is the First Time Obama Has Said the Word 'Khorasan' in Public". ABC News. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Syria Airstrikes Failed To Cripple Khorasan Threat". Associated Press. 9 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  18. ^ Banco, Erin (5 November 2014). "Khorasan Group disappears from US political rhetoric, raising questions about its existence". International Business Times. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  19. ^ Makarechi, Kia (29 September 2014). "Did the government invent an "imminent" threat to bolster support for war?". Vanity Fair.
  20. ^ "Nusra leader: Our mission is to defeat Syrian regime". Al Jazeera English. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  21. ^ Lister, Charles (1 June 2015). "An Internal Struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian Affiliate Is Grappling With Its Identity". Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference al-Fadhli dead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Drugeon confirmed dead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khorasan diminished was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Release No: NR-400-15 (18 October 2015). Statement on Airstrike in Syria that Killed Sanafi al-Nasr. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved: 18 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Khorasan". Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  27. ^ "Pentagon: Airstrikes kill 20 or more al Qaeda fighters in northern Syria | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference US kills al-Qaeda facilitator was invoked but never defined (see the help page).