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Sultan Aziz Azzam

Sultan Aziz Azzam is a senior propagandist and official spokesperson for the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K), designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations and numerous countries. As the founder and head of the Al-Azaim Foundation, IS-K's primary media and propaganda wing, Azzam played a pivotal role in recruiting fighters, claiming attacks, and disseminating the group's extremist ideology across the Khorasan region.

His arrest in a joint operation by Pakistani intelligence agencies near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in May 2025 was reported by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) monitoring team as a significant blow to IS-K's operational and propaganda capabilities. Prior to his militancy, Azzam worked as a journalist and writer in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

Early Life and Career Sultan Aziz Azzam was born in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Before emerging as a key terrorist figure, he built a career in local media. According to analyses from the Jamestown Foundation, he worked for at least three different local radio stations, honing skills in communication and narrative-building that he would later deploy for IS-K. He was also an author and poet; his major literary work is titled "Travelers of the Maze," a collection that purports to tell the stories of Islamic State fighters operating in the Spin Ghar mountains. This background in journalism and creative writing provided the foundation for his later effectiveness as a propagandist.

Table: Key Details of Sultan Aziz Azzam

Detail Information Known Roles IS-K Spokesperson, Head of Al-Azaim Foundation, Propagandist Status Arrested (May 2025) Place of Arrest Near Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Primary Language Pashto, Dari (Persian) Key Propaganda Output Voice of Khorasan (English), Al-Azaim Foundation publications Role in Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS-K) Azzam's involvement with IS-K dates to the group's formal establishment in Afghanistan in 2015. He quickly ascended to the role of official spokesperson, a position he held continuously until his arrest a decade later. In this capacity, he was the primary public voice of the group, responsible for issuing formal statements, claiming responsibility for attacks, and communicating the group's ideological directives.

His most critical function was founding and leading the Al-Azaim Foundation for Media Production. Described in UN and counter-terrorism reports as the "central hub" for IS-K's propaganda, the foundation produced and distributed content in multiple languages, including Pashto, Dari, Arabic, and English. This content ranged from high-quality video claims of responsibility to ideological treatises and recruitment magazines designed to inspire and mobilize supporters globally. Analysts credit Azzam's professional media experience with significantly increasing the group's visibility and the perceived legitimacy of its messaging among its target audiences.

Arrest and Impact on IS-K On May 2025, Pakistani intelligence agencies apprehended Sultan Aziz Azzam during an operation in the volatile border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The arrest was confirmed in the 16th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the UN Security Council.

The UN report assessed that the arrest, along with other counter-terrorism operations, "hamper[ed] its propaganda operations in the region." The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) stated that the Al-Azaim Foundation and associated propaganda arms "suffered a major blow" as a direct result. This disruption was tangibly demonstrated when IS-K's main English-language propaganda channel, "Voice of Khorasan," went offline for several months starting in June 2025. The UN report suggested this suspension was "likely due to counterterrorism pressure," potentially linked to the arrest of Azzam and other media operatives like Abu Yasir al-Turki.

Propaganda and Media Activities Through the Al-Azaim Foundation, Azzam oversaw a sophisticated media operation:

Attack Claims: He was the named authority who claimed responsibility for major IS-K attacks. Notably, he issued the claim for the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which killed over 170 civilians and 13 U.S. service members. He also circulated messages following the March 2, 2021, assassination of three female journalists and a major prison attack in Jalalabad on August 3, 2020.

Recruitment and Indoctrination: Azzam's written works, such as "Travelers of the Maze," were explicitly crafted to glorify the lives of IS fighters and inspire new recruits. The Jamestown Foundation noted he was "credited with recruiting IS members to carry out high-profile attacks." Furthermore, the UN report highlighted that under the broader strategy he helped enable, IS-K had "indoctrinated children in madrassas" and established "a suicide training course for minors around 14 years of age" in areas of northern Afghanistan.

Ideological Propagation: The UNSC website states that Azzam "played an instrumental role in spreading ISIL’s violent … ideology, glorifying and justifying terrorist acts." His output was fundamental in shaping the group's narrative of resilience and expansion in Khorasan.

Legacy and Significance Sultan Aziz Azzam's career exemplifies the modern fusion of media expertise with terrorist militancy. His arrest represents one of the most significant operational setbacks for IS-K's external communications in recent years. The UN monitoring team concluded that combined counter-terrorism efforts by Afghan and Pakistani authorities had disrupted the group's ability to organize freely and conduct high-profile attacks, noting that "Key [IS-K] commanders and ideologues have been neutralized."

However, the report also cautioned that despite these losses and a decline in attack frequency inside Afghanistan in 2025, IS-K remains a resilient threat. The arrest of a figure as central as Azzam disrupts but does not permanently eliminate the propaganda and recruitment infrastructure he helped build, underscoring the ongoing challenge of countering terrorist ideologies in the region.

See Also Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K)

Terrorism in Pakistan

Terrorism in Afghanistan

Propaganda in the Islamic State

References United Nations Security Council. (2025). Sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2611 (2021) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al‑Qaida and associated individuals and entities. S/2025/XXX.

Associated Press of Pakistan. (2025, Month Day). Key IS-K Figure Arrested in Pakistan Operation. APP News Agency.

Jamestown Foundation. (2023). Militant Leadership Monitor, 14(2). Profile: Sultan Aziz Azzam.

United Nations Security Council. ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee – Listed Individuals: Sultan Aziz Azzam.

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