In the wake of the Moscow attacks and American claims of ISIS involvement, a review of ISIS’s alleged role in Kirman is in order. The attackers in Moscow and Kirman were from Tajikistan. Tajikistan is part of the ancient Iranian province of Khurasan that lends its name to ISIS-K (K = Khurasan). ISIS-K seeks to topple the government of Tajikistan, yet ISIS-K have not conducted major attacks against the government of Tajikistan. State Department’s Nov. 2023 ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2022’ lists one incident: seven rockets fired by ISIS-K from Afghanistan into Tajikistan that ‘struck Tajik military facilities.’ Major attacks perpetrated by Tajik nationals allegedly associated with ISIS-K have been against enemies of the U.S. and/or Israel: Russia and Iran.
Attacks and Attackers
The terror attacks in Iran took place on 3 January 2024, the fourth anniversary of the murder of IRGC’s Maj.-Gen. Qasem Suleimani by Donald Trump. Haji Suleimani was born in a village south of Kirman city in the eponymous province; hence his burial in the ‘Martyrs’ Cemetery,’ east of Kirman city. Two blasts, one close to the memorial service and one about 1 km away, killed 94 and injured 284 Iranians. One bomber was identified as ‘Bozrov,’ allegedly with Israeli and Tajiki dual-citizenship. The second bomber is still unidentified. The cell’s organizer is a Tajik national, ‘Abdullah,’ who left Iran two days before the bombings. The four terrorists in Moscow were Tajiks; a number of accomplices arrested by FSB were Tajiks. On 29 March 2024, Tajik police arrested nine individuals in connection with the Moscow attacks.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan is low income country with high rates of poverty and unemployment. Remittances from Tajik migrant workers comprise about one-third of GDP: ‘The share of households with a migrant reached 48% in June 2023.’ Thousands of Tajiks work in Russia.
Tajikistan’s language is Persian but written in the Cyrillic alphabet. In the Soviet era, Persian and Russian were known to most Tajiks, but less so today. Most Tajiks, however, should be able to read public signs on Russian subways and roads even if their literary Russian skills are poor; and converse at least at the beginner level. Prevalence of Tajik workers in Russia, the ability of Tajiks to navigate in Russia and in Iran, economic circumstances, and proselytization activities of Wahhabi troublemakers, make Tajiks ripe for recruitment on the basis of ideology and/or financial necessity.
CIA and Mossad in Tajikistan
CIA and Mossad are active in Tajikistan. The US Gov, through USAID, conducts several programs to alleviate poverty and food insecurity. Aid from the U.S. is minor (about $75 million in 2022) relative to Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Japan, etc. USAID does have a negative perception globally as a CIA front in light of proven activities; for example, Cuba in 2014; and its well-documented past activities with CIA’s ‘Office of Public Safety,’ which was shutdown in 1974. Dushanbe is dependent on the U.S. Government and the international aid agencies that can be influenced by Washington. The Tajik Government works assiduously to remain in Washington’s good graces. It is conceivable that Dushanbe will ignore certain CIA activities inside Tajikistan in order to keep the foreign aid flowing. Recruiting in Tajikistan would not be difficult for CIA and/or Mossad. Since the attackers in Moscow also visited Turkey, recruitment and/or training in Turkey cannot be discounted.
Amaq News Agency
One criticism raised by Iranian authorities is against Amaq News Agency, media outlet for ISIS. Tehran noted that Amaq waited for more than 30 hours before claiming credit for the Kirman atrocity, and then only released a photo of two masked men that it claimed were brothers and responsible for the attacks. I have also challenged Amaq’s claims regarding the Moscow attacks because the second image that Amaq published to correct a major error in the first image had the Muslim profession of faith (shahada) mirrored backwards! ‘Any Muslim, Arabic reader or not, can read the shahada. Whoever runs the purported ISIS outlet, Amaq News Agency, is not Muslim.’
Israel
The Iranian Government has stated that Israel was behind the Kirman attack. An intelligence source added, ‘the investigation into the Kirman attack revealed that the planners of the attack trained in Zionist centers in northern Iraq.’ I have linked two video clips in English: one of Dr. Saied R. Ameli, Dean, World Studies Faculty, University of Tehran; the other, Mr. Mohammad Ghorbani, an expert in hybrid warfare. Both reflect views widely held within Iranian officialdom.
Conclusion
Suspicions voiced by high ranking Russian and Iranian officials that the so-called ISIS or ISIS-K attacks on their respective countries are reasonable. Parties other than ISIS/ISIS-K had a hand in planning, funding, and directing the attacks in Kirman and Moscow.
Perspectives 
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