Latest news with #IslamicStateKhorasan
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Russia removes Taliban from list of banned terrorist groups
Russia has suspended its ban on the Taliban, which it had designated for more than two decades as a terrorist organisation, in a move that paves the way for Moscow to normalise ties with the leadership of Afghanistan. No country currently recognises the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism. The Taliban was outlawed by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003. State media said the supreme court lifted the ban on Thursday with immediate effect. Russia sees a need to work with the Taliban as it faces a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East. In March 2024, gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Islamic State. US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Islamic State Khorasan (Isis-K), that was responsible. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Taliban says it is working to wipe out the presence of IS in Afghanistan. Western diplomats say the movement's path towards wider international recognition is stalled until it changes course on women's rights. The Taliban has closed schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian.
Express Tribune
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
IS claims bomb blast martyring three cops
"Jihadi John" was known as the executioner of the Islamic State group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages PHOTO: AFP The Islamic State group has claimed a bomb explosion targeting police in Pakistan's southwest that martyred three policemen and wounded more than a dozen. A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on Tuesday targeted a passing bus carrying 40 policemen in Mastung, Balochistan, where security forces have been battling violence for decades. In a statement late Tuesday, the group's regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which often carries out attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed its "soldiers" targeted the police. Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the bombing and expressed profound grief over the loss of precious lives.
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Daesh claims Pakistan bomb blast killing three policemen
Islamabad: The Daesh group has claimed a bomb explosion targeting police in Pakistan's turbulent southwest that killed three policemen and wounded more than a dozen.A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on Tuesday targeted a passing bus carrying 40 policemen in Mastung city of impoverished Balochistan province, where security forces have been battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist violence for a statement late Tuesday, the jihadist group's regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which often carries out attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed its 'soldiers' targeted the 'apostate' has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its western neighbor of allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan — a claim the Taliban Balochistan, separatist violence has intensified including an attack last month by ethnic Baloch militants on a train carrying 450 passengers, which sparked a two-day siege and left dozens is also group has claimed responsibility for attacks on religious minorities, targeted killings of religious scholars, and assaults on security July 2023, the group claimed a suicide bombing at a political party gathering that killed more than 54 people, including 23 than 200 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.
South China Morning Post
16-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How Pakistan took the fight to Isis-K – and won Trump's praise
The call came in January. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, just days into his tenure, reached out to Pakistan 's intelligence chief with a plea: help us bring those behind Kabul's Abbey Gate bombing – an attack that killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American soldiers – to justice. Advertisement What followed was a sweeping seven-month operation that spanned intelligence networks across 21 nations, culminating in the arrest of Mohammad Sharifullah and 38 others. It was a victory that has thrust Pakistan back into the global spotlight as an integral player in the fight against Islamic State Khorasan , or Isis-K. Russia , Led by Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – whose director general Lieutenant General Asim Malik met Ratcliffe on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany to hatch the plan – the operation dismantled a key Isis-K 'external operations cell' responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in recent years, with its most dangerous operatives subsequently deported to countries including the United States Turkey and Iran The arrest of Sharifullah, an Afghan national who confessed to orchestrating the Abbey Gate suicide bombing during the chaotic US withdrawal in August 2021 , marked a diplomatic victory for Islamabad and Washington. US Marines are seen at Abbey Gate outside Kabul airport after a suicide bomber had detonated explosives in August 2021. Photo: US Department of Defence via AP It prompted rare praise from US President Donald Trump , who extended thanks on March 4 to Pakistan's government 'for helping arrest this monster' during his first speech to Congress since retaking the presidency.
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.
