Report Discussion | Islamic State Wilayat Khorasan: Phony Caliphate or Bona Fide Province?

About the Report

'Islamic State Wilayat Khorasan – Phony Caliphate or Bona Fide Province?' is a report that critically examines the nature of Islamic State presence in Afghanistan. It is the result of field research that was conducted between May and November 2019 and explores the ideology, objectives, support networks, and tactics & strategy of Islamic State in the country. The report details the state and non-state actors that facilitate its activities and its ability to embed the Islamic State ideology into Afghan society. The researchers interviewed a broad array of people, including Afghan government officials, journalists, foreign state representatives, and members of the Islamic State for the project. It has been able to develop a comprehensive picture of the group and make comparisons to ISIS, therefore.

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Speakers

Amb. Amar Sinha, Distinguished Fellow, RIS and Former Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Arian Sharifi, Former Director General, National Threat Assessment, National Security Council, Afghanistan Hussain Ehsani, Researcher, Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies Indrani Bagchi, Diplomatic Editor, The Times of India Kabir Taneja, Fellow, Observer Research Foundation Amb. Rakesh Sood, Distinguished Fellow, ORF

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Programme

2:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Registration 3:00 – 3:10 p.m. | Remarks by Chair | Rakesh Sood 3:10 – 3:15 p.m. | Report Launch 3:15 – 4:00 p.m. | Remarks by Discussants | Amar Sinha | Arian Sharifi | Hussain Ehsani | Indrani Bagchi | Kabir Taneja 4:00 – 4:25 p.m. | Moderated Q & A 4:25 – 4:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks by Chair 4:30 onwards | High Tea