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Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Evil terrorist ties of migrant who lied to the U.S. government when he fled a war-torn nation
An Afghan man charged with lying about serving with the US military on his immigration papers has been identified as a member of a feared terrorist group. Dilbar Gul Dilbar, 33, who was arrested in New York this month and charged with lying to get a visa, has now been linked to the Haqqani Network, an armed Islamist group. Dilbar's alleged terrorist ties were revealed when prosecutors filed papers this week, saying his fingerprints were found on plans for a potential attack in Afghanistan in 2011. US intelligence officers apparently knew of Dilbar's terrorist ties and fraudulent visa claims all along, and let him to enter the US so they could build a case against him. His arrest raises tough questions about America's responsibility to provide sanctuary to Afghans who helped them there, as well as ongoing threats of terrorists entering the US. It comes as US President Donald Trump mounts a harsh crackdown on illegal immigration into the US, a hot button issue during the 2024 election. Dilbar, 33, came to the US with his wife and young children last year on a special immigration visa (SIV), reserved for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who assisted US forces and diplomats. The dad-of-five was arrested at a home in Rochester, New York, charged with submitting false documents in 2021 to obtain the visa. He previously applied in 2016, but had been denied. US Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland remanded him in custody as a potential flight risk. He's accused of submitting a bogus employment letter from a US-based firm in his application in 2021, in the run-up to the collapse of the Afghan government and a chaotic US withdrawal. Dilbar's SIV application was approved in March 2024, according to paperwork, and he applied for and was issued a green card in July. This week, it was revealed that 'it is not a typical visa fraud case,' a filing by prosecutors says. 'The defendant was ineligible for an Afghan SIV not only because he submitted fraudulent employment documentation but also because he was linked to the Haqqani Network,' says the 11-pager. The Pentagon has declassified details since his court hearing that link him to a terrorist plot in Afghanistan, say the papers, which were first reported on by Court Watch. They refer to evidence uncovered at a crime scene in Afghanistan in 2011 by the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. 'One piece of evidence was a handwritten note. The note contained a series of letters and numbers, possibly the coordinates of a planned terrorist attack,' says the filing. 'The defendant's fingerprint was on the note.' Dilbar awaits trial on the visa fraud charge, for which he faces 10 years behind bars. The Department of Justice has been contacted for further information about his case. It is not clear what Haqqani network plans or attacks Dilbar may have been involved in, or at what level. The militant group is one of the most powerful and feared groups in the Afghan insurgency, blamed for major attacks during the 20-year war. The US mounted its war in Afghanistan to dismantle the Taliban and al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks. The US withdrew its forces completely in 2021, leaving Afghanistan in turmoil and the Taliban back in control.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trump's takes
He will deal with anyone, even Houthis & Hamas. But even he shouldn't equate India & Pakistan Trump took full credit for helping stop hostilities between India and Pakistan. US did parley with Indian and Pakistani leaders. But there are strong indications he may be overstating his and US role. But that's not holding him back. On his Truth Social platform he's said that he is 'very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom and fortitude… to stop the current aggression'. He added, 'While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations' before finishing with 'God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!' Four months into his second term, Trump's new approach to US foreign policy is now well-known. There are no untouchables. Deals can be done with anyone. That's how he has approached the Ukraine-Russia war, restarting direct diplomacy with Moscow. He's now done a deal with Houthis after bombing them. And there is chatter of a deal with Hamas that doesn't require it to disarm. Clearly, Trump is agnostic about the people he is looking to cut deals with. Even then, treating India and Pakistan as equals, given the latter's track record with terrorism, is puzzling and disconcerting. Pakistan has long been the epicentre of global terror. And this has harmed US. Osama bin Laden was sheltering in Pakistan. Pak-based Haqqani Network has killed many US soldiers. Pak-sponsored 26/11 terror attack in India had killed six Americans. The list goes on. So even for wheeling-dealing Trump, there should be some red lines. Pakistan has long run with the hare and hunted with the hounds, and also bankrupted itself. India has been a democracy, and is now, nearly the world's fourth largest economy. That's a difference the US president should recognise. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
News18
30-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Tracing Pakistan's Terror Trail: From Kashmir To Kabul & Beyond
Behind Pakistan's denials is a stark reality, a military and intelligence network that has turned soldiers into jihadist trainers fuelling decades of terror across South Asia Pakistan's track record in sponsoring, sheltering, and exporting terrorism is one of the most dangerous and destabilising forces in the world. For decades, its soil has been used as a launchpad for cross-border terrorism, insurgency, and extremist ideology, and the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack has once again brought the spotlight on the neighbour. In 2018, the former prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, had suggested that the Pakistani government played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group. Even Pervez Musharraf, General and former President of Pakistan, had conceded that his forces trained militant groups to fight India in Kashmir. He confessed that the government turned a blind eye because it wanted to force India to enter into negotiations, as well as raise the issue internationally. Just a few says ago, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, admitted that the country supported terrorist groups for more than three decades, calling it a mistake tied to US-led foreign policy decisions. In an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, where he was asked about the renewed tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in J&K's Pahalgam, Asif said: 'Yes, we have been doing this dirty work for America and the West, including Britain, for the last three decades." During the interview, Asif also bizarrely claimed the Lashkar-e-Taiba doesn't exist anymore, accusing India of 'staging" the Pahalgam terror attack in a 'false flag" operation to create a 'crisis in the region, particularly for Pakistan". Afghanistan • Taliban and Haqqani Network Attacks: Pakistan's ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) has been widely documented as supporting the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, providing them with funding, training, and safe havens. ● These groups have been responsible for numerous deadly attacks on Afghan civilians, government targets, and international forces, including the 2008 Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul and the 2011 attack on the US Embassy in Kabul. ● Senior journalist Carlotta Gall in her book wrote that, 'The embassy bombing was no operation by rogue ISI agents acting on their own. It was sanctioned and monitored by the most senior officials in Pakistani intelligence." Russia ● Moscow Concert Hall Attack (2024): In April 2025, a Pakistan link emerged in the investigation of the Moscow terror attack. Russian authorities identified the mastermind as a Tajik national and are probing connections to Pakistan, with reports suggesting that the attackers may have had logistical or ideological support tracing back to Pakistani networks. Iran ● Jaish ul-Adl Attacks: Pakistan-based Sunni extremist group Jaish ul-Adl has repeatedly attacked Iranian security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan province. In response, Iran carried out missile and drone strikes on January 16, 2024, inside Pakistan's Balochistan province, targeting what it described as Jaish ul-Adl hideouts. ● Cross-Border Militancy: Iran has regularly accused Pakistan of harbouring and failing to act against Sunni militants who stage attacks across the border. ● 2005 London Bombings: The July 7, 2005, London bombings, carried out by four British Islamist terrorists, were linked to training and indoctrination in Pakistan. Three of the bombers—Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, and Germaine Lindsay—spent time in Pakistan between 2003 and 2005. Osama bin Laden's Sanctuary in Abbottabad, Pakistan ● The 2011 US raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, exposed systemic failures in Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts. Bin Laden had lived undetected for years in a compound near Pakistan's Military Academy, raising suspicions of ISI collusion. Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Operations ● Pakistan's ISI has been accused of funding and training Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned Islamist group responsible for the 2016 Gulshan café attack in Dhaka (20 hostages killed). In 2015, Bangladeshi authorities expelled Pakistani diplomats after catching them red-handed transferring funds to JMB operatives. ● A 2020 intelligence report revealed ISI's involvement in training 40 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camps through JMB, aiming to infiltrate them into India. JMB's network, funded via Gulf-based NGOs and Pakistani intermediaries, spans Bangladesh and India, with sleeper cells in states like West Bengal and Kerala. The group's ties to Pakistan's intelligence apparatus illustrate Islamabad's alleged use of transnational proxies to destabilise regional rivals. Pakistan Sponsored Schools of Terror ● Behind Pakistan's denials is a stark reality, a military and intelligence network that has turned soldiers into jihadist trainers fuelling decades of terror across South Asia. ● Pakistan hosts a network of terror training camps across provinces like Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly NWFP), Waziristan, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These camps, operated by groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and transnational outfits like ISIS-Khorasan, serve as hubs for radicalisation, weapons training, and suicide mission preparation. Ex-Pakistani Army personnel often assist in training, lending military expertise to enhance operational lethality. ● The US State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 identified Pakistan as a country that 'continued to serve as a safe haven for certain regionally focused terrorist groups." ● In a report titled Pakistan Army and Terrorism: An Unholy Alliance, the European Foundation for South Asian Studies highlights a deeply entrenched relationship among Pakistan's military establishment, its intelligence agency—the ISI—and radical religious leaders. top videos View all ● In September 2019, Brigadier Shah made a startling admission during a national television interview on Pakistani private news channel Hum News. Speaking to journalist Nadeem Malik during a talk show, Shah confessed that Pakistan had spent millions of rupees on the terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) in an effort to mainstream the group. ● In an interview, Musharraf acknowledged that Kashmiris were 'trained in Pakistan" as Mujahideen to fight against the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. He went further, describing jihadi terrorists as Pakistan's 'heroes" and even naming global terrorists Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Jalaluddin Haqqani among those considered 'heroes" by Pakistan. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : 2008 mumbai attack Kashmir Pahalgam attack pakistan Pervez Musharraf pok Location : Islamabad, Pakistan First Published: April 30, 2025, 13:21 IST News world Tracing Pakistan's Terror Trail: From Kashmir To Kabul & Beyond
NDTV
24-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Pahalgam Attack, Pakistan, And The Cost Of 'Ideology'
Twenty-six tourists gunned down in Pahalgam; one Ahmadi man lynched in Karachi. Two different types of tragedies, hundreds of miles apart, but stitched together by the same playbook of hate. I still remember that grim July evening in Anantnag eight years ago-the shrill cries, the blood-smeared faces, the stunned silence pierced by the wails of the wounded. Seven Hindu pilgrims, six of them women, gunned down on their way back from the sacred Amarnath Cave. I was in Srinagar for another story when the news broke. The attack had taken place barely 30 minutes down the highway. That night, at the district hospital in Anantnag, I saw survivors drenched in blood and disbelief, speaking of masked men firing at point-blank range. Chaos, carnage and cowardice, all in one shattering frame. And now, it's happened again. Twenty-six innocent tourists have been massacred in Pahalgam. Another blood-soaked chapter in the same sickening script. Once again, militants have struck at unarmed civilians. Once again, the cowardly armed thugs chose the soft targets. The pilgrims in Anantnag had come to pray. The ones in Pahalgam had come to breathe in Kashmir's beauty. All they found was horror. It was an attempt to derail tourism, to send a chilling message that Kashmir is not safe. Let's not sugarcoat it. As someone who's covered Kashmir since 1991, I cannot be convinced by gunmen and their handlers that these are acts of resistance. They are calculated executions. And they are not born in a vacuum. Behind every such ambush, there are safe havens and handlers that lie not only in the Valley, but across the border, in compounds and command centres where terror still finds sponsors and justifications. Pakistan, A Citadel For Jihad Pakistan has, over the years, become a one-stop shop for 'jihad'-using Islam as a war cry and foot soldiers as cannon fodder. Want to wage war in Kashmir? Knock on Jaish-e-Mohammed's door. Planning chaos in Afghanistan? Reach out to the Haqqani Network. Need to target Shias? Hobnob with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. From the streets of Karachi to the mountains of North Waziristan, this ecosystem breeds militancy with impunity. It seems to be thriving for long on a state structure that patronises them for its own political gains. While gunmen in Kashmir were busy murdering 26 tourists in cold blood, some 400 of Pakistan's finest moral crusaders were busy lynching a 47-year-old Ahmadi man. His crime? It wasn't burning the Quran, or insulting the Prophet. No, he was reportedly filming the mob that had surrounded the mosque. Yes, a mosque, because apparently, not even places of worship are off-limits when you are on a holy rampage, as it belonged to the Ahmedi community. The man died there. Beaten to death in what he likely thought was a sanctuary. But in today's Pakistan, just identifying as Ahmadi in public is enough to get you killed. No questions asked. No trial needed. Justice is served instantaneously. This is barbarism on loop. There was no public outrage. The Human Rights Commission though said it was "appalled". In reality, that word has lost all meaning in Pakistan. And yet, we've seen this before. December 2021. Sialkot. A Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara, accused of blasphemy for removing a poster. He was beaten to death and set on fire. Filmed. Shared on social media. No direct link to TLP, they said. But the mob chanted their slogans. Used their rhetoric. Quoted their clerics. And remember, Ahmadis aren't just hated; they're officially not Muslim, according to Pakistanis laws. Isn't it apartheid in the name of piety? Now contrast that with India. Yes, we have our own lynching brigades but Ahmadis, it's safe to say, are treated like any other community under the law. The TLP, of course, would call that blasphemy too. Because in their world, religious pluralism is a sin but beating a man to death in a mosque is their religious duty. TLP, Weaponising Blasphemy This TLP is known for openly championing hard-line Sharia. It takes pride in weaponising blasphemy. Their leaders' rants against imagined Jewish lobbies and secular conspiracies inside Pakistan abound on social media. Despite being banned in 2021 for inciting violence, it was quickly rehabilitated. In the 2024 Punjab elections, it won nearly 2.5 million votes. Violence, hate and bigotry, legitimised at the ballot box. The world may be less aware of its activities. But the TLP isn't actually hiding in caves. It's not a ragtag militia. It's a registered political party. Millions of votes. Millions of views. Born of the Barelvi tradition once known for Sufi shrines and qawwalis. Today, that tradition has been hijacked and is shouting for blood. In 10 years or so (since its inception in 2015), the TLP has gone from roadblockers to kingmakers. Two governments have bent the knee. Judges have blinked. Bureaucrats have stalled. And the army-ever fond of "strategic depth"-has either looked away or served tea. But this isn't just about TLP mobs. It's about the rot. It's the way killing in the name of religion has been normalised, wrapped in hashtags and WhatsApp forwards. Crossing Of Borders, Crossing Of Ideology? This isn't just Pakistan's tragedy anymore. It's a digital export. Packaged in sermons and delivered via WhatsApp. In 2020, a 26-year-old Pakistani man attacked people outside Charlie Hebdo's old offices in Paris. He told the police his inspiration came from watching TLP founder Khadim Hussain Rizvi on YouTube. Rizvi, now deceased and succeeded by his son Saad Hussain Rizvi, once screamed he would nuke Holland. "If I'm given the atom bomb, I would wipe Holland off the face of the earth before they can hold a competition of caricatures," thundered Khadim Rizvi. His outrage was aimed at a Dutch cartoon contest. He demanded that Pakistan snap ties with the Dutch but the matters got settled after the organisers cancelled the contest. India Must Be Vigilant In India, the vast majority of Muslims belong to the same Barelvi tradition that TLP emerged from. So far, Indian Barelvis have stayed rooted in ritual, not politics and violence. But what happens when the sermons start to travel not with guns but with data? Good thing is, India doesn't have Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Ahmadis here are considered part of the Muslim mainstream, a position that could get them jailed next door. But we've seen how fast the contagion of hate spreads in South Asia. That's my worry. That should be the authorities' worry. Which brings us to the TLP's two-faced reality: on one hand, they brandish slogans about honouring the Prophet; on the other, they cheer mobs that lynch helpess individuals. Once ideology is weaponised, facts don't matter. Ahmadis, Hindus, Christians and even mainstream Sunnis who dare to differ, none of them is safe. Because this is not about Islam. It's about power and control. Of course, the Ahmadis bear the worst of it. In Pakistan, it is in fact illegal for an Ahmadi to call themselves Muslim. Their mosques can't be called mosques. Their gravestones can't bear Quranic verses. Their greetings are criminalised. Their very existence is treated as a provocation. You know things are bad when Pakistanis abroad start introducing themselves as Indian-not because they have switched allegiances, but because it's just less awkward at global gatherings or non-South Asian circles. It's not betrayal. It's brand management. After all, the honest truth is that this nuclear state is forever trending for the wrong reasons. A factory of foot soldiers for holy wars. Twenty-six tourists gunned down in Pahalgam; one Ahmadi man lynched in Karachi. Two different types of tragedies, hundreds of miles apart, but stitched together by the same playbook of hate. Some elements in Pakistan have perfected the art of killing in God's name. The question isn't what the world will do about it. It's whether Pakistanis themselves are ready to defy the thugs in turbans who have hijacked their faith, their streets and their future. Until that happens, the shootings and beatings will continue. The slogans will rise. And the country that once imagined Jinnah's pluralism will keep waking up in Zia's nightmare. (Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media) Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author Share Sign up to read this article FREE! Exclusive Stories: Dive into content reserved just for members. Fewer Ads: A cleaner, more enjoyable reading experience. Enhanced Interface: Tailored just for you. Join Now – It's Free!
CNN
29-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
American woman detained in Afghanistan has been freed
An American woman who had been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since February has been released and is in 'good health,' according to a source with knowledge of the release. Faye Hall was released Thursday 'following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar,' which has been mediating on the US' behalf, the source said. She was detained in the country on charges of using a drone without authorization. 'Hall was received at the Qatari Embassy in Kabul and has been confirmed in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks. Arrangements are currently underway for her return to the United States,' the source added. An image of Hall sat alongside Qatari officials was shared on Saturday by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US' former ambassador to Afghanistan. 'American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home. Thank you, #Qatar, for your ongoing and steadfast partnership,' Khalilzad wrote on X. Her release comes after Trump envoy Adam Boehler and Khalilzad traveled to Kabul to secure American George Glezmann's release, which was also mediated by the Qataris. The US does not have a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, having closed its embassy there after the Taliban takeover in August 2022. Instead, Qatar represents the US in Afghanistan, acting as its 'protective power.' President Donald Trump on Saturday shared a video on social media of Hall, who expressed her gratitude and said she was 'so glad' he was in office. 'Thank you for bringing me home. I've never been so proud to be an American citizen,' Hall said in the video posted by Trump. 'Thank you, Faye — So honored by your words!' Trump's post read. On Wednesday, the US removed millions of dollars of bounties on three Taliban officials but kept their terrorist designations. A US State Department spokesperson confirmed 'there is no current reward offer' for the Taliban's Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani and Yahya Haqqani. However, they 'remain designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and the Haqqani Network remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a SDGT.' 'It is the policy of the United States to consistently review and refine Rewards for Justice reward offers,' the spokesperson said. The Haqqani network was responsible for kidnappings and suicide bombings against the United States and its allies for decades, and its members now serve as part of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. In January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened a 'very big bounty' on Taliban leaders if they are holding more American detainees than was known. 'Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden,' Rubio posted on X. This story has been updated with additional information.
