DISINFO: The West does not hesitate to use terrorists to destabilise Asia
SUMMARY
British and American intelligence agencies work with underground terrorist groups to destabilise not only Afghanistan but also Central Asia and all of Eurasia. 'Al-Qaeda' and ISIS are creations of both the British and American intelligence agencies, which continue to use these organisations to this day. The geography of the activities of those behind the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow extends far beyond the CIS region. Also among their crimes is the attempt on the life of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is disliked by the liberal elites.
RESPONSE
This are Pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Western countries supporting and using jihadist groups to advance geopolitical goals in Central Asia. The article also blames Ukraine and the West for the attempt to kill Slovakian PM Robert Fico and for the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow.
This message is part of a recurrent conspiracy theory alleging that Europe and the United States use global terrorism as an instrument. This article was published after the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Russia for which both the US and even Iran warned Moscow in advance. At that time, Putin dismissed these warnings as the "the intention to intimidate and destabilise".
Islamic State has credibly claimed responsibility for the terror attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow. As ISIS authorship became undeniable (see here for a wider account of evidence), Putin acknowledged late on 25 March 2024 that Islamists had committed the attack. Nonetheless, Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin outlets continue insisting Ukrainian and/or Western involvement. Since there is no credible evidence in this regard, pro-Kremlin disinformation shifted to its long-term narrative about Islamic State as a US/Western creation, of which this piece of disinformation is a good example. This narrative has been debunked multiple times (see here, here, here and here). The narrative about the West’s alleged support for terrorism and attempts to destabilise the situation in Central Asia keeps however recurring.
Ever since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the US and and Europe have been engaged in an enormous military and intelligence effort to counter Al Qaeda, ISIS and other radical Islamist terrorist groups around the world.
ISIS-K (Islamic State Khorasan), the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, has been responsible for nearly 100 attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as roughly 250 clashes with the US, Afghan, and Pakistani security forces since January 2017.
The U.S. Department of State designated Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on 14 January, 2016, and United States Central Command has escalated its air campaign against the group since 2016 when rules of engagement expanded under President Obama and President Trump.
ISIS-K is one of the targets of Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS), a counter-terrorism operation which is part of the international US led Global War on Terrorism. In Afghanistan, the United States conducts OFS against al Qaeda, ISIS-K and their affiliates.
The authors of this piece of disinformation also state that the attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is the work of the same forces, without providing any evidence. The suspected gunman in Fico's attack, identified by Slovak media as 71-year-old former security guard and amateur poet Juraj Cintula, was charged with attempted premeditated murder and was put in pre-trial detention by a special penal court on 18 May 2024.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Afghanistan is a security threat for Central Asia fuelled by the West; that ISIS was created and defended by the US, or that the US generated and backed Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Taliban; that the West and the US are ferrying Islamic State members to Afghanistan to use them against China; as part of a so-called “Anaconda ring”.