Sultan Aziz Azzam, the founder of the Al-Azaim Foundation—ISIS-K's official media outlet responsible for recruitment efforts—and spokesperson for the organisation, has been apprehended by Pakistan’s premier Intelligence agency.

In June of this year, the encrypted accounts belonging to Islamic State Khorasan were abruptly deactivated via a kill switch, prompting inquiries and discussion across multiple platforms linked to its global activities. Since that event, the volume of its propaganda output has significantly declined, although the underlying cause for this reduction remained largely unidentified.

Pakistani authorities have recently carried out several high-profile arrests targeting ISKP’s, including the detention of group spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azzam on May 16, 2025, stated the Sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the operation was conducted by Pakistan's Inter- Services Intelligence .

The crackdown has disrupted the group’s ability to organize and execute major attacks on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. As a result, several planned attacks have been thwarted, and the number of ISIL-K fighters has reportedly declined, with key commanders and ideologues neutralized, noted the report.

Two Senior Pakistani intelligence official confirmed the arrest to The Khorasan Diary, “he was arrested from the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, between Nangarhar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” they said, adding that Azzam’s arrest was part of a major operation against ISKP in which several top leaders and associates have been arrested. “The operational details had not been made public because it would have affected ongoing counter terrorism efforts” they told The Khorasan Diary.

Sultan Aziz Azzam after the arrest by Pakistani authorities

Recent counter-terrorism operations conducted by Pakistani authorities have substantially weakened ISIL-K, disrupting its ability to plan and execute major attacks within Afghanistan and Pakistan. The apprehension of high-profile individuals, including spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azzam in May 2025 and senior leader Abu Yasir al-Turki, has resulted in the elimination of key commanders and a decline in the group's operational strength. These efforts have also led to the suspension of significant propaganda platforms such as “Voice of Khorasan.” While English-language propaganda activities have been curtailed, ISIL-K continues to disseminate material in other languages, apparently unaffected by regional internet outages, possibly due to external hosting solutions or satellite communication technologies.

Early Life and Media Career

Sultan Aziz Azzam was born in 1980 in the Bati Kot district of Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. Raised in a region known for its strong tribal structures and religious conservatism, Azzam’s formative years were shaped by the cultural and ideological currents that have long influenced eastern Afghanistan. These early experiences would later inform both his professional path and his ideological transformation.

Before entering the media sector, Azzam served as an advisor to the Nangarhar Provincial Council. This role gave him early exposure to local governance, political dynamics, and community engagement—skills that would later prove instrumental in his transition to public communication and influence.

Azzam’s broadcasting career began with Spinghar Radio, based in Shergar, a key area in the Shinwar district of Nangarhar province. He later worked with Hamesha Bahar Radio and Nan Radio, both based in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. These Nangarhar-based stations provided him with a platform to host and produce literary and cultural programs, including serialized radio dramas that resonated with local audiences. His eloquence, storytelling ability, and command of both Pashto and Dari quickly earned him a reputation as a compelling communicator, The Khorasan Diary spoke to several people he was known to.

Through his work in the media, Azzam became a familiar voice in Nangarhar’s public sphere. His growing prominence, combined with his background in provincial politics, positioned him as a trusted figure in the community. These experiences not only sharpened his communication skills but also expanded his social networks assets that would later be co-opted for ideological messaging and militant propaganda.

Transition to ISIS-Khorasan

By 2013–2014, Sultan Aziz Azzam had reportedly joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), the regional affiliate of ISIS operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the larger region known as Khorasan. His recruitment coincided with ISIS-K’s strategic expansion into eastern Afghanistan, where the group sought individuals with media expertise, religious credibility, and local influence.

Azzam’s profile made him an ideal candidate. His fluency in regional languages, deep understanding of local culture, and professional media background allowed him to craft and disseminate ISIS-K’s ideological messaging with precision. Recruitment into ISIS-K often relied on tribal, familial, and ideological networks structures that Azzam was already embedded in through his previous roles.

His case illustrates how extremist groups actively seek out individuals with specialized skills not just fighters or ideologues, but also communicators capable of shaping public perception. Azzam’s transition from journalist to propagandist underscores the strategic value of media in modern militant movements.

Role Within ISIS-K

Once integrated into ISIS-K, Azzam quickly rose to become the group’s chief media spokesman and head of information operations. He was responsible for producing propaganda materials, issuing official statements, and coordinating messaging between field units and central media teams.

His speeches and video messages were disseminated through ISIS-affiliated platforms, often focusing on recruitment, ideological justification, and the glorification of attacks. These messages were crafted to appeal to both local and transnational audiences, portraying ISIS-K as a disciplined, ideologically coherent, and operationally capable force.

While some reports suggest that Azzam may have had advisory input in operational planning, his primary influence lay in shaping the group’s public image. His ability to control the narrative helped ISIS-K gain visibility, attract recruits, and project strength—even as it faced military pressure from Afghan, U.S., and later Taliban forces.

Conflicting Reports on His Status

In 2018, several media outlets reported that Sultan Aziz Azzam had been killed in a U.S. drone strike. However, in a press briefing in 2023, the Taliban government publicly confirmed that Azzam is alive and currently residing in Pakistan. This contradiction highlights the persistent uncertainty surrounding the status of high-profile militant figures.

Such ambiguity is not uncommon in the world of non-state armed groups, where leaders often operate under aliases, move across porous borders, and are shielded by ideological networks. The lack of verifiable information complicates counterterrorism efforts and underscores the fluid nature of militant leadership structures in the region.

International Designation

On December 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Sultan Aziz Azzam as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224. This designation targets individuals involved in financing, supporting, or leading terrorist activities.

Azzam’s inclusion on the SDGT list reflects the strategic importance of propaganda in ISIS-K’s operations. His role in shaping the group’s narrative was not viewed as peripheral but central to its ability to recruit, radicalize, and mobilize supporters. The designation also signals a broader recognition by international actors that information warfare is a critical front in the fight against terrorism.

Legacy and Implications

Sultan Aziz Azzam’s trajectory from local radio host to a central figure in militant propaganda offers a compelling case study in how professional expertise can be weaponized for ideological warfare. His story illustrates the intersection of communication skills, political access, and radical ideology in the making of a modern extremist leader.

For counter-radicalization efforts, Azzam’s case underscores the need to go beyond ideological narratives and address the tactical use of media, storytelling, and public influence. Preventing radicalization requires not only challenging extremist ideas but also disrupting the pathways through which professional talent is co-opted into violent movements.

As ISIS-K continues to evolve, figures like Sultan Aziz Azzam remind us that the battle for hearts and minds is as critical as any military campaign. Understanding how individuals like him rise and how their skills are harnessed remains essential to countering the broader threat.

[Sultan Aziz Azzam’s profile is an abridged version of a book on the Islamic State Khorasan by the author]