America Places $18 Million Bounty on Two ISIS-K Commanders

The United States government has announced a substantial reward of up to $18 million for credible intelligence that can lead to the identification or whereabouts of two prominent figures within the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). This incentive was formally declared by the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice initiative through a public statement on its X platform on Tuesday.

Specifically, the Rewards for Justice program is making available a sum of up to $8 million for details concerning Shahab al-Muhajir, also identified as Sanaullah Ghafari, who serves as a leader of ISIS-K. Ghafari, an Afghan national born in 1994, was elevated to the leadership of ISIS-K in June 2020 by ISIS's central command, as confirmed by the Rewards for Justice platform. An official ISIS communication detailing his appointment lauded him as a seasoned military strategist and one of ISIS-K's “urban lions” operating in Kabul, with a history of involvement in guerrilla warfare, su*cide bombings, and intricate assault planning. The program emphasized that Ghafari bears the responsibility for authorizing all ISIS-K activities across Afghanistan and orchestrating the group's financial resources.

Furthermore, a separate announcement from the program highlights Obaidullah, known by aliases such as Salahuddin and Maulawi Rajab. He is implicated in the formulation of ISIS-K's assaults and operations, leading units that execute terr*rist acts, and overseeing the organization's financial dealings via its al-Siddiq Office. The al-Siddiq Office, as described by Rewards for Justice, functions as a regional ISIS directorate, tasked with supervising ISIS operations throughout Asia and distributing financial aid to its various factions and networks. The program noted Obaidullah's close ties to ISIS-K emir Sanaullah Ghafari (Shahab al-Muhajir). A reward of up to $10 million is being offered for intelligence on Obaidullah, who is recognized as a vital leader within the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), an entity officially designated by the U.S. as a Foreign Terr*rist Organization. He is also linked to several ISIS-K terror schemes aimed at American, European, and Middle Eastern targets.

Individuals connected to Obaidullah were reportedly responsible for the March 2024 assault on Russia's Crocus City Hall music venue, where 145 lives were lost to gunfire and explosives before the building was engulfed in flames, according to Rewards for Justice. ISIS-K, identified as a terr*rist organization based in Afghanistan, operates across both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group, predominantly comprising ex-members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, declared its allegiance to ISIS in 2015. The Rewards for Justice program has also attributed numerous other attacks to ISIS-K, including the July 2016 bombing of a peaceful demonstration in Kabul, which resulted in approximately 80 fatalities and 230 injuries. Furthermore, ISIS-K took credit for the May 2020 assault on a Kabul maternity hospital, which claimed 24 lives, including those of mothers and their newborn infants. The group also claimed responsibility for the devastating August 2021 su*cide attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, an incident that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel and around 160 civilians amidst evacuation efforts.

The U.S. Department of State officially designated ISIS-K as a Foreign Terr*rist Organization in January 2016, following its earlier classification as a Specially Designated Global Terr*rist organization in September 2015. Obaidullah himself was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terr*rist in November 2021. The Rewards for Justice program is actively encouraging anyone with pertinent information regarding these two individuals to utilize its established reporting channels for tip submissions.