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Express Tribune
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
IS-K terrorist's capture may reset Pak-US ties: Curtis
The arrest and extradition of the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) terrorist behind the August 26, 2021, deadly attack on US Marines underscores the importance of the US-Pakistan counterterrorism partnership and could serve as a "building block" to restore bilateral ties. In an interview with VOA Deewa Services, Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), described the development as an important step. "I think this could be sort of a building block, to reset the US-Pakistan relationship – a very important step – and obviously President [Donald] Trump mentioned it in his statement to the joint session of US Congress," she noted. Curtis was referring to capture of Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as "Jafar," by Pakistani agencies who is accused of masterminding the Abbey Gate bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul which killed 13 American servicemen and roughly 170 Afghans. President Trump broke the news of Sharifullah's capture Tuesday night in a speech to Congress on Capitol Hill. "Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity," Trump said. The US president hailed Pakistan for helping with Sharifullah's arrest. "And I want to thank, especially, the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster," the US president said. Recalling the strained US-Pakistan relations under President Joe Biden, Lisa Curtis dismissed the claims made by Jon Finer – who served as Biden's principal deputy national security advisor – that Pakistan's weapons programme was directed at the US. Instead, she pointed out that Pakistan's strategic focus remained on countering India due to its history of three wars. "Pakistan's strategic programmes are driven by the desire to pace with India's programmes ... with India, it has three wars, so this is the opportunity to reset the relationship between the Trump administration and Pakistan." Curtis, who served in Donald Trump's first administration as the senior director for South and Central Asia in the National Security Council, suggested that US foreign policy should recognise the new geopolitical landscape. She stressed that "we are in a new era". With no US troops in Afghanistan, the primary concern was now strategic competition with China as it is not in Washington's interest for Islamabad to become entirely dependent on Beijing. "The major issue is strategic competition with China, and it's not in the United States interests for Pakistan to completely dependent on China. We want Pakistan to have options, alternatives," she emphasised. While reinstating military aid at levels seen after 9/11 was unlikely, the countries could tap into potential areas of cooperation, particularly in the IT sector, critical minerals and other mutual economic interests. The senior fellow at the DC think-tank reckoned that while a formal alliance or strategic partnership may not be on the table, fostering a cordial relationship with Pakistan in key areas of mutual benefit remains an option. "There are opportunities they [the US and Pakistan] can cooperate when there is mutual interest in IT sector, critical minerals." Regarding Pakistan's long-standing ties with China, she noted that Islamabad sought balanced relations and did not want to be wholly reliant on Beijing. "They [Islamabad] would prefer to have a good relationship with the United States, so again that is to the United States' benefit, so certainly it's not in the interest of the United States to see Pakistan you know fully dependent on China," Curtis said. She added the US did not want to see a worsening of Beijing's historical ties with Islamabad or even a deepening of the relations. "All I am saying is that the United States does not want to see China's relations with Pakistan are worsened or deepened, not so deepened where China finds a military outpost in Pakistan," she added.
Express Tribune
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan, US discuss counterterrorism
Political Adviser to PM Rana Sanaullah Khan holds discussions with the US Embassy's Political Counsellor, Zachary Harkenrider. PHOTO: APP Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday met with US Consul General Zachary Harkenrider to discuss bilateral cooperation, regional security and mutual relations. During the meeting, both sides stressed the historical strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States, stressing the need to further strengthen ties. The recent arrest of a high-profile terrorist – who was among the most wanted by Pakistani security agencies – was hailed as an important success which reflected Pakistan's unwavering commitment to counterterrorism. Acknowledging Pakistan's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, both parties agreed that the efforts and sacrifices of security forces and the public must not go in vain. It was further acknowledged that Pakistan has consistently cooperated with the US in efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region and will continue to do so. Moreover, the discussions highlighted Pakistan's improving economic and foreign relations, with an emphasis on enhancing people-to-people ties with the US. The Pakistani government expressed its desire to foster stronger relations based on mutual interests, aiming to deepen cooperation in various sectors for the benefit of both nations. In a press briefing in Washington on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed appreciation for Pakistan's role in securing Sharifullah's capture. "We extend our gratitude to the government of Pakistan, we really do. We have a common interest in fighting terrorism," she said, emphasising that the arrest underscores the vital nature of continued collaboration in fighting terrorism. Counter-terror cooperation with Pakistan is vitally important, she said. IS-K terrorist Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, was apprehended by Pakistani authorities and later extradited to the United States based on intelligence provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sharifullah is believed to have played a significant part in the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul's Abbey Gate during the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan, an attack that killed over 170 Afghans and 13 US servicemen. The US Justice Department revealed that Sharifullah had confessed to scouting the airport's route before the bomb went off, amid a crowd attempting to flee Kabul after the Taliban's takeover. The arrest also illustrated the role of critical intelligence exchanged between the Trump administration and Pakistani officials, which helped lead to Sharifullah's confession.
Voice of America
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Suicide bombing at Pakistan religious seminary kills senior cleric, others
Police in northwestern Pakistan said Friday a suicide bomber detonated himself during afternoon prayers at the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Haqqania, with several thousand students, is among South Asia's largest and most respected Islamic seminaries. The top leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban also studied at the madrasa, in the town of Akora Khattak. Seminary head Maulana Hamidul Haq was among at least four worshippers killed in the incident, which injured more than 20 others. The provincial police chief, Zulfiqar Hameed, confirmed the casualties, saying an investigation into the bombing was underway. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he called "a cowardly and heinous act of terrorism,' according to a statement issued by his office. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but suspicions fell on a regional Islamic State group affiliate, the Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K. The group, which the United Nations says is based in neighboring Afghanistan, has taken credit for other madrasa attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. IS-K has routinely carried out high-profile attacks against leaders and clerics affiliated with the Taliban government in Kabul, killing dozens of them in recent months. A U.N. Security Council assessment this month described IS-K as 'the greatest extra-regional terrorist threat.' The report said that in addition to attacks on Taliban authorities and Afghan religious minorities, IS-K supporters conducted strikes as far away as Europe, and it 'was actively seeking to recruit from among Central Asian states' bordering Afghanistan.
Daily Tribune
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Germany jails two Afghans in suspected Sweden attack plot
Two Afghan men linked to the Islamic State group were jailed in Germany on Thursday for planning an attack on the Swedish parliament in retaliation for Koran burnings by protestors. The two suspects, identified as Ibrahim M. G. and Ramin N., had allegedly tried but failed to buy guns for the plot. They were found guilty of plotting to "kill members of parliament... in response to the burning of Korans in Sweden", the higher regional court in Thuringia said in a statement. Ibrahim M. G., 30, was sentenced to five years and six months in jail, and Ramin N., 24, received a sentence of four years and two months. The defendants, who arrived in Germany in 2015 and 2016 respectively, were Islamic State sympathisers who "shared the IS worldview and endorsed (its) violent approach", the court said. In August 2023, Ibrahim M. G. became a member of the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), an offshoot of IS, the court said. The two men hatched a plot to "kill members of parliament and anyone who tried to stop the attack with firearms in the area of the Swedish parliament", the court said. They had searched the internet for locations in Stockholm, how to travel to Sweden and how to acquire firearms. They had also travelled to the Czech Republic to purchase firearms on the black market but the plan had fallen through. They were arrested in the Gera area of eastern Germany in March 2024. Both men were found guilty of plotting to commit a crime. Ibrahim M.G. was also convicted of being a member of a terrorist organisation, and Ramin N. of supporting a terrorist organisation. IS-K was "an especially dangerous terrorist organisation whose attacks and atrocities were known to and endorsed by the defendants", the court said. Prior to the plot, Ibrahim M. G. was also found to have arranged for 200 euros ($210) to be transferred to an Iranian bank account for the support of women and children of IS fighters at the Al-Hol camp in Syria. Ibrahim M. G. made a full confession during the trial. Islamist extremists have committed several attacks in Germany in recent years, the deadliest being a truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that killed 12 people. Islamist motives are also suspected in several recent stabbings and car ramming attacks blamed on migrants in Germany, which have led to a bitter debate on migration. In October 2023, German prosecutors charged two Syrian brothers for planning an attack inspired by IS at a church in Sweden over Koran burnings. A series of Koran burnings were held across Sweden in 2023, mainly by immigration opponents, sparking outrage in the Muslim world.
Voice of America
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Suicide bombing at Afghan ministry kills 1, injures several
Taliban officials said Thursday a suicide bomb explosion outside a ministry building in the Afghan capital of Kabul killed at least one person and injured several others. The blast occurred when security guards at the entrance to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing intercepted and killed a suicide bomber, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told VOA. Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed the casualties, saying a member of Taliban security was killed, and three others were wounded in the ensuing explosion. No immediate claims of responsibility were made, but suspicions fell on a regional Islamic State group affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K. The attack came two days after IS-K took credit for a suicide bombing outside a bank in the northeastern Afghan city of Kunduz that killed at least five people and wounded several others. Multiple sources reported that the victims of the Tuesday blast were predominantly Taliban security personnel who had assembled to collect their salaries. IS-K has plotted repeated high-profile attacks since the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021. The violence has killed hundreds of people, including senior Taliban leaders, religious figures and members of the Afghan Shiite community. The back-to-back bombings this week followed the Taliban's renewed claims that their security forces nearly eliminated IS-K presence in the country, rendering the group incapable of posing a threat within or beyond Afghan borders. The United Nations and independent critics remain skeptical about the Taliban's assertions. U.N. counterterrorism officials warned during a Security Council meeting on Monday that IS-K is one of the "most dangerous" Islamic State branches and "continued to pose a significant threat in Afghanistan, the region and beyond."
