IS Khorasan: The Turkey Nexus

This study is the first to provide a systematic account of a vital component of IS-Khorasan’s global operations: the “Turkey nexus”. Drawing on the indictment from the largest Turkish trial against ISK members, it shows that Turkey plays a key role in the group’s global expansion; that it does not, however, function as an independent center of power; and that ISK has largely failed to mount successful attacks inside Turkey. Our conclusion: For ISK, Turkey is both an asset and a vulnerability. Claims that the group represents “the next ISIS” should therefore be approached with caution.