Lithuania identifies ISIS-Khorasan as national security threat

Lithuania has identified the Afghanistan-based branch of ISIS-Khorasan as a threat to its national security in a document published on Sunday.

The assessment states that the group has increased recruitment efforts through social media platforms within Lithuania, primarily targeting young people from Central Asia via online propaganda and extremist messaging. Recruitment attempts have also been reported among Central Asian exile communities in Lithuania, whose numbers have grown in recent years.

The document notes similar online recruitment activities among Central Asian youth more broadly. Kyrgyzstan's national security organization had previously expressed concern over ISIS-linked recruitment via social networks.

United Nations Security Council reports indicate that ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups remain active in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Lithuanian authorities highlighted the findings as underscoring the challenge of online radicalization and the need for enhanced monitoring of extremist networks targeting vulnerable youth. Officials in Kabul reject claims that groups such as Al-Qaeda or ISIS-K operate freely in Afghanistan, describing such allegations as politically motivated.