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BEIJING — Six people were killed as record rains struck southwest China, state media reported Thursday, as the country endures a summer of extreme weather. Torrential downpours struck Dianjiang county, near the megacity of Chongqing, from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, state news agency Xinhua said, citing county officials. State broadcaster CCTV, citing the county flood control office, reported that four people had died in "geological disasters" and a further two had "drowned" as of 1:50 p.m. (0550 GMT) on Thursday. Xinhua said one of the people had perished after a house collapsed, and at least three had been caught in a landslide. Nearly 7,000 people have been affected by rainstorms and 170 have been told to evacuate, according to Xinhua. It added that up to nearly 25.5 centimeters of rain in parts of Dianjiang, the highest daily maximum since records began. China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves. The country is the world's leading emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather more likely. Beijing has committed to bringing its emissions of planet-heating carbon dioxide to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s anti-graft court sentenced a former agriculture minister to 10 years in prison Thursday after finding him guilty of corruption-related extortion, abuse of power and bribery involving ministry contracts with private vendors. The case has tarnished President Joko Widodo’s credibility in fighting corruption. Five other members of Widodo’s Cabinet have been sentenced to prison terms in corruption cases, casting a shadow over his efforts to clean up government while his term will end in October. The court in the capital, Jakarta, ruled that the former Cabinet minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, was guilty of abusing his power by enriching himself and other officials. It also ordered him to pay a $18,500 fine and said he would be subject to another four months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay. "The defendant has legally and convincingly been proven guilty of corruption," presiding Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh said. "He wasn’t a good example as a public official, what he has done is counter the government’s efforts to fight corruption and enriched himself by corruption." Limpo had been arrested last October by the Corruption Eradication Commission, known as the KPK. He has denied wrongdoing. Several ministry officials testified during the trial that secretariats, directorates general and agencies within the ministry were required to give up 20% of their budgets to Limpo, as though they were indebted to him, and he threated their jobs if they rejected his demands. Vendors and suppliers were also asked to set aside money to fulfill the then-minister’s demands, the trial revealed. Limpo used the money on luxurious cars, gifts and apartments, charter private jets, family parties and gatherings, and for religious observances and pilgrimages. Limpo also used the bribes to disburse humanitarian aid for disaster victims and to his Nasdem political party. Prosecutors, who sought 12 years imprisonment for Limpo, said the politician accepted a total of $2.7 million between January 2020 and October 2023. In their indictment, prosecutors accused Limpo of ordering his two subordinates, Kasdi Subagyono and Muhammad Hatta, to collect the illicit money. They were each sentenced to four years in prison in separate cases. During the trial, Limpo said he was the victim of political persecution and felt that he had been slandered by his subordinates in his ministry who feared being replaced or removed from their position. "I never received any information about their objection to any of my orders," Limpo said. "If they think it’s wrong, they should consult and discuss with me first." Widodo campaigned in part on a pledge to run a clean government in a country that ranked 115th out of 180 nations in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Transparency International. Limpo, a former South Sulawesi governor, is the second politician from the Nasdem Party to face recent prosecution. Johnny G. Plate, a former communication minister, was sentenced to 15 years in prison over $533 million in graft of the construction of mobile phone transmission towers in remote parts of the country. Corruption is endemic in Indonesia and the anti-graft commission, one of the few effective institutions in the country of nearly 270 million people, is frequently under attack by lawmakers who want to reduce its powers. The KPK has arrested around 250 members of the local parliament, as many as 133 regents and mayors as well as 18 governors, 83 members of the national parliament and 12 ministers since the institution was founded in late 2003.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Colombia is headed to the Copa America championship game for the first time in 23 years after a contentious win over Uruguay in which it played the second half a man short and players brawled with fans in the stands following the final whistle. Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute for a 1-0 win Wednesday night and a matchup with Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina on Sunday. "Until you overcome your weaknesses you cannot grow," Colombia coach Nester Lorenzo said through a interpreter. "And when you overcome those obstacles, you can grow." Daniel Muñoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for an elbow that led to his second yellow card. Despite Uruguay having 61.9% possession, Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first time since winning its only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia extended its unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games, one more than from 1992-94 and the longest current streak in men's international football. "They are very hungry as players and very eager and they really add many elements to their game beyond the tactical side," Lorenzo said. In a match that included seven yellow cards in addition to the red, players from both teams pushed and shoved in a scrum on the field at the final whistle. Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled. A video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors. CONMEBOL released a statement after the game saying that it strongly condemns any act of violence that affects the game. "Our work is based on the conviction that soccer connects and unites us through its positive values," the organization said. "There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. We invite everyone in the remaining days to pour all of their passion into cheering on their national teams and having an unforgettable party." Defending champion Argentina and Colombia meet at Miami Gardens, Florida, in the tournament finale. The Albiceleste are seeking a record 16th Copa title and are looking to join Spain from 2008-12 as the only countries to win three straight major championships. Uruguay stays in Charlotte to meet Canada in Saturday night's third-place match. Before an overwhelmingly pro-Colombia crowd of 70,644 that filled Bank of America Stadium with yellow jerseys and flags, Uruguay fell behind for the first time in the tournament. James Rodríguez's corner kick was headed in from short range by Lerma, who outjumped José María Giménez for his third international goal and second of the tournament. Rodríguez has six assists in the tournament -- triple the total of any other player. Muñoz received his first yellow card from Mexican referee César Ramos in the 31st minute for a reckless slide tackle on Maximiliano Araújo and his second for elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the stomach. Rodríguez was given a yellow card in the 55th minute for arguing with Ramos when the referee failed to stop play after Richard Ríos was kicked on a shin by Darwin Núñez. Ríos was removed on a stretcher, re-entered the match, then went down in another challenge and was substituted in the 62nd minute. Rodríguez was removed at the same time to keep him eligible for the final. Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas didn't have to make his first save until he stopped Nicolás de la Cruz in the 68th minute. Luis Suárez, Uruguay's career leader with 68 goals, entered in the 66th minute and hit the outside of a post with a shot in the 71st. He grasped his head in his hands in disgust. "The moments in which we could unbalance the game, we did not succeed," Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said. "We should have generated more goal situations than we did." Colombia's Mateus Uribe, another second-half sub, put an open shot wide in the 88th, and Uribe's open shot in the fourth minute of stoppage time ricocheted off the body of sliding goalkeeper Sergio Rochet and then the crossbar. Uruguay moved Rochet up to the attacking half of the field in the final minute, desperate for a goal. The match was played in 90-degree heat on a surface that was converted from artificial turf to grass in the weeks leading up the game. Players on the NFL's Carolina Panthers have been outspoken about football teams having the luxury of playing on grass on their home field. Players say NFL games on artificial turf leave them more susceptible to injuries. With two games left, attendance of 1.48 million is just 1,663 shy of the total for the 2016 tournament in the United States.

BEIJING — Top Chinese officials gather in Beijing on Monday, with all eyes on how they might kickstart lackluster growth at a key political meeting that has traditionally seen officials unveil big-picture economic policy changes. The world's second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, an aging population and geopolitical tensions overseas. President Xi Jinping will oversee the ruling Communist Party's secretive Third Plenum, which usually takes place every five years in October, though Beijing has offered few hints about what might be on the table. State media in June said the delayed four-day gathering would "primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization," and Xi last week said the CCP was planning "major" reforms. Analysts are hoping those pledges will result in badly needed support for the economy. "There are many hopes that this Third Plenum will provide some new breakthroughs on policy," Andrew Batson of the Beijing-based consultancy Gavekal Dragonomics told AFP. "China's government has struggled to execute a successful economic strategy since emerging from the pandemic," he added. But he said he did not expect a "fundamental departure from the course Xi has already laid out," in which technological self-sufficiency and national security outweigh economic growth. And the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, warned on Monday that "reform is not about changing direction and transformation is not about changing color." Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said the meeting was "intended to generate and discuss big, long-term ideas and structural reforms instead of making short-term policy adjustments." The Third Plenum has long been an occasion for the Communist Party's top leadership to unveil major economic policy shifts. In 1978, then-leader Deng Xiaoping used the meeting to announce market reforms that would put China on the path to dazzling economic growth by opening it to the world. And more recently following the closed-door meeting in 2013, the leadership pledged to give the free market a "decisive" role in resource allocation as well as other sweeping changes to economic and social policy. Growth figures expected This year's conclave will begin the same day China is due to release its growth figures for the second quarter. Experts polled by AFP expect China's economy to have grown, on average, 5.3 percent year-on-year between April and June. Beijing has said it is aiming for 5% growth this year — enviable for many Western countries but a far cry from the double-digit expansion that for years drove the Chinese economy. Authorities have been clear they want to reorient the economy away from state-funded investment and instead base growth around high-tech innovation and domestic consumption. But economic uncertainty is fueling a vicious cycle that has kept consumption stubbornly low. Among the most urgent issues facing the economy is a persistent crisis in the property sector, which long served as a key engine for growth but is now mired in debt, with several top firms facing liquidation. Authorities have moved in recent months to ease pressure on developers and restore confidence, such as by encouraging local governments to buy up unsold homes. Analysts say much more is required for a full rebound as the country's economy has yet to bounce back more than 18 months after damaging COVID-19 restrictions ended. "Short-term stimulus is badly needed to boost the teetering economy," Nomura's Ting said. But, he added, "major steps towards market-oriented reforms might be limited this time."

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WASHINGTON — NATO and Ukrainian leaders are to meet Thursday in Washington, a day after NATO allies bolstered support for Ukraine to join the alliance. The NATO summit’s final day will also include talks with leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the European Union addressing security challenges and cooperation. A NATO communique released by the 32-member bloc Wednesday said Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is “irreversible.” “It’s not a question of if, but when,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The United States was once deeply concerned about whether Ukraine was ready for NATO membership but now appears resolved to ensure Kyiv eventually joins the alliance. “We're providing that bridge to membership for Ukraine. It's really a significant deliverable,” Michael Carpenter, the senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, told VOA. Stoltenberg said that when fighting stops in Ukraine, NATO will need to ensure that halt will be the final end to violence there. The way to ensure it stops for good, Stoltenberg said, is NATO membership for Ukraine. Otherwise, he said, Russia could continue its aggression. Unlike the European Union, which began negotiations with Ukraine to join its ranks on June 25, there is no consensus yet about Ukraine joining NATO. F-16 transfer under way Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the first American-made F-16 fighter jets are currently being delivered to Ukraine and are expected to patrol Ukrainian skies in coming weeks. “The transfer of F-16s is officially under way, and Ukraine will be flying F-16s this summer,” he said at the summit. In a statement Wednesday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the Dutch and Danish governments were providing the F-16s, while Belgium and Norway had committed to send more aircraft to Ukraine. NATO member heads of state held their first working session of the summit Wednesday as they sought to boost the alliance’s support for Ukraine and enhance their own defense and deterrence efforts. At the start of the session, Biden said Russia was ramping up its defense production with Chinese, North Korean and Iranian help. To counter their efforts, he said, NATO members must continue to invest more in defense production. “We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind,” Biden said. China called out In the NATO communique, all 32 allies on Wednesday also called on China to cease its support for Russia’s war effort against Kyiv, including its transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that aid Russia’s defense sector. “The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the leaders wrote. Asked by VOA whether the statement was a strong enough message to deter China from continuing to support Russia, Stoltenberg replied in the press conference that Wednesday’s declaration is “the strongest message that NATO allies have ever sent on China’s contributions to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.” A spokesperson for China’s mission to the European Union rejected the NATO statement, calling it “filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric.” NATO allies invited Indo-Pacific partners from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to also attend this week’s summit. Officials say their inclusion reflects their importance during growing Chinese, North Korean, Russian and Iranian aggression. Iulia Iarmolenko contributed to this report. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas baked Wednesday in its record fifth consecutive day of temperatures sizzling at 46.1 Celsius or greater amid a lengthening hot spell that is expected to broil much of the U.S. into the weekend. The temperature climbed to 46.1 shortly after 1 p.m. at Harry Reid International Airport, breaking the old mark of four consecutive days set in July 2005. And the record could be extended, or even doubled, by the weekend. Even by desert standards, the prolonged baking that Nevada's largest city is experiencing is nearly unprecedented, with forecasters calling it "the most extreme heat wave" since the National Weather Service began keeping records in Las Vegas in 1937. Already the city has broken 16 heat records since June 1, well before the official start of summer, "and we're not even halfway through July yet," meteorologist Morgan Stessman said Wednesday. That includes an all-time high of 48.8 C set on Sunday, which beat the previous 47.2 C record. Alyse Sobosan said this July has felt the hottest in the 15 years she has lived in Las Vegas. She said she doesn't step outside during the day if she can help it. "It's oppressively hot," she said. "It's like you can't really live your life." It's also dangerously hot, health officials have emphasized. There have been at least nine heat-related deaths this year in Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, according to the county coroner's office. Officials say the toll is likely higher. "Even people of average age who are seemingly healthy can suffer heat illness when it's so hot it's hard for your body to cool down," said Alexis Brignola, an epidemiologist at the Southern Nevada Health District. For homeless residents and others without access to safe environments, officials have set up emergency cooling centers at community centers across southern Nevada. The Las Vegas area has been under an excessive heat warning on three separate occasions this summer, totaling about 12 days of dangerous heat with little relief even after the sun goes down, Stessman said. Keith Bailey and Lee Doss met early Wednesday morning at a Las Vegas park to beat the heat and exercise their dogs, Breakie, Ollie and Stanley. "If I don't get out by 8:30 in the morning, then it's not going to happen that day," Bailey said, wearing a sunhat while the dogs played in the grass. More than 142 million people around the U.S. were under heat alerts Wednesday, especially in Western states, where dozens of locations tied or broke heat records over the weekend and are expected to keep doing so all week. Oregon has seen record daily high temperatures, with Portland reaching 39.4 C and Salem and Eugene hitting 40.5 C on Tuesday. The number of potentially heat-related deaths in Oregon has risen to 10, according to the state medical examiner's office. The latest two deaths involved a 54-year-old man in Jackson County and a 27-year-old man in Klamath County. On the other side of the nation, the National Weather Service warned of major-to-extreme heat risk over portions of the East Coast. An excessive heat warning remained in place Wednesday for the Philadelphia area, northern Delaware and nearly all of New Jersey. Temperatures were around 32.2 C for most of the region, and forecasters warned the heat index could soar as high as 42.2 C. The warning was due to expire at 8 p.m. Wednesday, though forecasters said there may be a need to extend it. The heat was blamed for a motorcyclist's death over the weekend in Death Valley National Park. At Death Valley on Tuesday, tourists queued for photos in front of a giant thermometer that was reading 48.9 C. Simon Pell and Lisa Gregory from London left their air-conditioned RV to experience a midday blast of heat that would be unthinkable back home. "I wanted to experience what it would feel like," Pell said. "It's an incredible experience." At the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service was investigating the third hiker death in recent weeks. Temperatures on parts of some trails can reach 49 C in the shade. An excessive heat warning continued Wednesday in many parts of southern and central Arizona. Forecasters said the high in Phoenix was expected to reach 45.5 C after it hit 46.6 C Tuesday, tying the previous record for the date set in 1958. Authorities were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who was left alone in a hot vehicle Tuesday afternoon in Marana, near Tucson, police said. At Lake Havasu, a 4-month-old died from heat-related complications Friday, the Mohave County Sheriff's Department said. The U.S. heat wave came as the global temperature in June was a record warm for the 13th straight month and marked the 12th straight month that the world was 1.5 degrees Celsius  warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said. Most of this heat, trapped by human-caused climate change, is from long-term warming from greenhouse gases emitted by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, scientists say. Firefighters in Henderson, Nevada, last week became the first in the region to deploy what city spokesperson Madeleine Skains called "polar pods," devices filled with water and ice to cool a person exhibiting symptoms of heat stroke or a related medical emergency. Extreme heat in the West has also dried out vegetation that fuels wildfires. A blaze burning in northern Oregon, about 178 kilometers east of Portland, blew up to 28 square kilometers by Wednesday afternoon due to hot temperatures, gusty wind and low humidity, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. The Larch Creek Fire closed Highway 197 and forced evacuations for remote homes. In California, firefighters were battling least 19 wildfires Wednesday, including a 117-square-kilometer blaze that prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains of Santa Barbara County.

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SYDNEY — Papua New Guinea's sidelined Petroleum Minister Jimmy Maladina pleaded not guilty in a Sydney court Thursday to a charge of assaulting a woman during a domestic dispute. His lawyer Margaret Cunneen entered the plea on his behalf during his brief appearance in Waverley Local Court. Neither Maladina nor Cuneen made a statement to media waiting outside court. Police allege he assaulted a 31-year-old woman Saturday at an address in nearby Bondi in Sydney's expensive eastern suburbs and she suffered facial injuries. A conviction on the charge of assault resulting in bodily harm could carry a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison. Maladina, 58, remains free on bail with restrictions on contact with the woman, but there are no bail conditions that would prevent him from leaving Australia. Maladina will appear in court on July 17 when a magistrate will set a hearing date. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape announced on Wednesday that Energy Minister Thomas Opa had taken over the petroleum portfolio since Maladina had stepped down during the court process. He remains a government lawmaker. Foreign government ministers can claim immunity from criminal prosecution in Australia if they are visiting on business. But there is no immunity for private visits. The Associated Press asked the Papua New Guinea High Commission in Australia on Tuesday whether Maladina was visiting on official business but received no reply. Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest neighbor and an Australian colony until independence in 1975.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

NATO allies on Wednesday pledged to support Ukraine on an "irreversible” path to integration while calling on China to cease all support for Russia's war effort against Kyiv. This as new fighter jets are set to patrol the skies of Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the details.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said of Ukraine; “we'll continue to support them on the irreversible path to NATO membership.” We talk with University of Southern California professor Robert English, director of the USC School of International Relations. Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial begins. And what bat brains can help us understand human brain disorders.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

WASHINGTON — Taliban efforts to solidify the group’s control over Afghanistan are bringing a measure of peace and stability to its residents, but intelligence gathered by United Nations member states suggests the reprieve is not likely to last. A report issued late Wednesday by the U.N. sanctions monitoring team warns that Afghanistan will almost certainly remain a source for insecurity with terror groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State either finding safe haven or finding ways to exploit the Taliban’s weaknesses. “The country continues to be perceived as permissive or friendly territory by terrorist groups,” the report warns. “Continued Taliban tolerance of a range of terrorist groups, based across many Afghan provinces, sets the conditions for terrorism to project into neighboring States.” Al-Qaida, in particular, continues to thrive, taking advantage of its long-term ties to the Taliban despite being forced to keep a low-profile. Al-Qaida expansion U.N. member states contend al-Qaida has used the past year to reorganize and recruit, building out its network of training camps and safe houses across at least five Afghan provinces, including bases in the eastern city of Jalalabad and offices in Kabul. The expansion has also attracted more al-Qaida operatives, including some that the U.N. report described as “experienced instructors” from outside of Afghanistan, whose mission is “to enhance the security of dispersed cells.” The report further alleges that de facto al-Qaida leader Saif al-Adel, believed to be in Iran, has sent ethnic Arab operatives to the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan to improve training and facilitate communication with the group’s core leadership. Other key al-Qaida figures in Afghanistan have also found added safety thanks to the Taliban. Taliban protection Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, an al-Qaida commander captured in 2010 and held in a prison at Bagram air base until U.S. forces left in 2021, was placed in protective custody, the report says, "reflecting Taliban concerns that foreign intelligence agencies were looking for him." Two other al-Qaida officials, described in the report as “weapons engineers,” were also given protection by the Taliban, while an al-Qaida official from Libya was reportedly given an Afghan passport and a position at the Interior Ministry. “The intent behind these activities is not clear, nor are the consequences for the group’s capabilities, but the activities cause significant concern,” the report says of al-Qaida. US assessment The U.N. assessment stands, in some ways, in contrast to assessments shared late last year by the United States. “Al-Qaida is at its historical nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely,” National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid said in a statement marking the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. that killed almost 3,000 people. But such views are at odds with the picture put together by the U.N., which maintains al-Qaida has between 30 and 60 senior officials in Afghanistan, along with hundreds of fighters and almost 2,000 family members. Islamic State-Khorasan While al-Qaida may be seeing the start of a revival thanks to the Taliban rule of Afghanistan, the intelligence shared in the new U.N. report finds the Islamic State terror group is coming under pressure. U.N. member states "credit Taliban efforts to counter the threat from [IS-Khorasan],” it says. “But [they] question the Taliban’s counter-terrorism capabilities and have concerns about continued [IS-Khorasan] recruitment and dispersal.” The result, according to the report, is an Islamic State affiliate that is slowly positioning itself to undermine Taliban rule while actively carrying out attacks as far afield as Iran and Russia. IS-Khorasan capacity “remains strong,” according to the report, noting the group’s deadly attacks in Kerman, Iran, this past January and on a Moscow concert hall this past March. IS-Khorasan spreading The intelligence suggests IS-Khorasan has expanded into a number of adjacent Central Asian states. IS-Khorasan “is using Afghan nationals to conduct attacks in Pakistan, Pakistani nationals to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan, Tajik nationals to conduct attacks in Iran (Islamic Republic of) and the Russian Federation and has used a Kyrgyz national to carry out an attack in the Taliban’s heartland of Kandahar,” the U.N. report says. The terror group also appears to be growing in parts of Afghanistan. “[It] has strengthened in northern regions of Afghanistan, increasing recruitment within Tajik and Uzbek communities and stockpiling arms and explosives in remote mountainous areas," according to the report. And one of the U.N. member states warned it sees indications IS-Khorasan may be preparing to try to reestablish territorial control in some areas. IS undercover Other intelligence shared with the U.N. by its member states raises concerns that IS-Khorasan may be preparing to take down the Taliban from within. The report says there is evidence that IS-Khorasan operatives have infiltrated the Taliban’s Interior and Defense ministries, as well as its General Directorate of Intelligence. There is also concern that the group is finding ways to hide its true presence. The report estimates IS-Khorasan has 2,000 to 3,500 fighters, with members of other IS affiliates in Afghanistan helping to swell that number to as many as 6,000. But U.N. member states allege the group is embedding its fighters in as many as four other terror groups, including some that get training and welfare benefits from the Taliban-run government. IS special forces There is also some evidence to suggest IS-Khorasan has set up a special operations force in Iran. According to two U.N. member states, the force is made up of mostly Tajik and Uzbek nationals, charged with carrying out attacks on Shia shrines, clergy and Iranian police. One of the two U.N. member states said the force could have as many as 300 fighters and appears to be operating along Iran’s borders with Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Iraq. Central Asia As with the U.N. assessment of al-Qaida’s fortunes in Afghanistan, the U.N. assessment of a large and possibly growing IS presence in the country also runs counter to some U.S. assessments, which see a much smaller footprint. But more recent U.S. intelligence estimates have raised concerns about the ability of IS-Khorasan to project power into Central Asia and beyond. A top U.S. counterterrorism official last month warned that IS appeared to be trying to take advantage of changing migration patterns that are sending more Central Asians to the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Treasury Department sanctions unveiled last month also pointed to the involvement of an IS operative in Uzbekistan and the emir of the IS affiliate in the Republic of Georgia in a plot to smuggle operatives to the U.S. Global reach Some analysts say the additional details in the U.N. report are evidence that IS-Khorasan, also known as ISKP, remains on a worrisome trajectory. “ISKP intensified its Central Asia outreach after the U.S.-withdrawal from Afghanistan and rolled out Tajik and Uzbek media arms in 2022,” according to Lucas Webber, a research fellow at the global intelligence firm, The Soufan Center. “This initiative continues to expand,” he told VOA, pointing to the introduction of a new IS Tajik language magazine days after the group’s terror attack in Moscow. And there are other worrisome signs. “There has been an uptick in ISKP-linked arrests throughout Central Asia in the last few months,” Webber added, saying that could indicate the recent high-profile attacks could be “just the start of what the group has planned.”

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