Latest news with #MajeedBrigade
Express Tribune
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Kabul complicit in TTP attacks: Pak envoy
Pakistan has, yet again, drawn the attention of the international community towards the greatest threat to the security and stability in Afghanistan — and the entire region, saying it will take all necessary measures to stop cross-border terrorist attacks. In a statement during the UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan on Monday, Pakistan's envoy noted that the Afghan interim government utterly failed in addressing the threat posed to the region and beyond by Afghan-based terrorist outfits such as Al-Qaeda, the TTP and Baloch terrorists, including the BLA and the Majeed Brigade. Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which was perceived as enjoying Kabul's patronage, had been fast emerging as an umbrella organisation for regional terrorist groups, whose objectives, he added, were to undermine the security and stability of all of Afghanistan's neighbours. "Given its long association with Al-Qaeda, the TTP could pose not only a regional but also a global terrorist threat," the ambassador emphasised. He said that the TTP, with 6,000 fighters, was the largest, designated terrorist organisation operating from Afghanistan. "With safe havens close to our border, the TTP has conducted numerous attacks against Pakistan's soldiers, civilians and institutions resulting in hundreds of casualties," he added. "We have evidence that the Kabul authorities have not only tolerated but are also complicit in the conduct of the TTP's terrorist cross-border attacks." Ambassador Akram noted that the TTP was collaborating with other terrorist groups present in Afghanistan, like the BLA and the Majeed Brigade, which sought to destabilise Pakistan and "disrupt our economic cooperation" with China, especially the CPEC, through their terrorist campaign. "The TTP also receives external support and financing from our principal adversary."
Voice of America
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Roadside bomb kills 11 coal miners in southwest Pakistan
Authorities in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province said Friday that at least 11 coal mine workers were killed and six injured when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. The early morning incident occurred near a coal mine in the Harnai district of the insurgency-hit province, which is rich in natural resources. "The terrorists involved in this incident will be brought to justice soon," an official statement quoted Provincial Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti as saying. In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said he expressed sorrow over the deaths of miners and said his government "is actively working to eliminate terrorism." No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Balochistan, where ethnic Baloch militants frequently stage insurgent attacks against security forces and workers associated with public and private mining projects. The Baloch Liberation Army, particularly its suicide bomber unit known as the Majeed Brigade, has claimed responsibility for nearly all recent attacks in Balochistan, resulting in the killings of scores of civilians and security forces. At least 18 Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed Jan. 31 when BLA militants assaulted their bus in the province's Kalat district, marking one of the deadliest days for security forces in recent months. The U.N. Security Council noted in its latest international terror threat assessment report released this week that BLA has been behind "several high-casualty attacks" in Balochistan. The report quoted two U.N. member states as saying that the "Majeed Brigade maintained connections with TTP, ISIL-K and ETIM/TIP, including collaborating with the latter in its operational bases in Afghanistan." TTP stands for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, a globally designated terrorist group that carries out almost daily attacks in Pakistan, particularly in its northwestern districts near or on the Afghan border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, or ISIL-K, is the Afghan branch of the transnational Islamic State terrorist network. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, is an anti-China militant group operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Balochistan is on Pakistan's borders with Iran and Afghanistan and has experienced years of attacks attributed to BLA, TTP, and Islamic State loyalists.
Arab News
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's UN ambassador calls for global action against militants operating from Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram has called for global action against religiously motivated militants such as Daesh, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Majeed Brigade outfits, alleging that over two dozen 'terrorist groups' are operating from Afghanistan which are a threat to the entire region and beyond. Pakistan has suffered a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan. The TTP or the Pakistani Taliban have carried out attacks against civilians and law enforcers in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces while the Majeed Brigade, a specialized unit of the Baloch Liberation Army, have scaled attacks in the southwestern Balochistan province. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action against militants that it says are using Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan, a charge the Taliban-led government denies. Pakistan last year conducted cross-border strikes into Afghanistan against alleged militant targets, escalating tensions with its western neighbor. Akram made the comments during the UN Security Council briefings on 'Threats to international peace & security caused by terrorist acts,' Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN shared on social media platform X on Tuesday. 'While strongly rejecting any imputation that an ISIL-K/Daesh recruitment is taking place inside the country, Pakistan has urged the international community to take greater cognizance of the renewed terrorist threat posed by the TTP, Majeed Brigade and Daesh,' the mission said. 'He stated in unequivocal terms that over two dozen terrorist groups are operating inside Afghanistan, which is also the 'main hub for ISIL-K's recruitment and facilitation,' as is confirmed by the UN Monitoring Team's recent report.' Akram pointed out that Pakistan had defeated Al-Qaeda and other militant networks within its borders, adding that the South Asian country continues to confront 'terrorist threats' such as the TTP, Daesh and the Majeed Brigade operating from safe havens across the border. He demanded addressing root causes of militancy such as poverty, injustice, prolonged unresolved conflicts, foreign occupation and denial of the right of self-determination to people. 'Without addressing the root causes, we can hope for little success if our focus remains restricted to the consequences of such policies,' he maintained. Akram pointed out that it was unfortunate how counter-terrorism policies have often equated Islam with extremism, adding that such misplaced notions fuel Islamophobia and further radicalization. He condemned 'terrorism' in all its forms, saying Pakistan was one of the countries worldwide leading the battle against militancy. 'For more than four decades, we have remained at the forefront of global counter terrorism efforts and been a principle target of terrorist attacks, financed by our adversaries in the region and we have paid a heavy price in innocent human life; lost 80,000 casualties and enormous damage to our economy,' Akram said.
Express Tribune
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Afghanistan becoming ISIL-K's hub'
ISLAMABAD: At a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on global terrorism threats, Pakistan's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Munir Akram, voiced serious concerns over the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups targeting Pakistan and the wider region. Speaking at the biannual UNSC session, based on the UN Secretary-General's reports on threats posed by ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and their affiliates, Ambassador Akram highlighted that despite international counterterrorism efforts, groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh (ISIL-K), and the Majeed Brigade continue to operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to eradicating terrorism, Ambassador Akram stated, "Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. For more than four decades, we have remained at the forefront of global counterterrorism efforts and been a principal target of terrorist attacks, financed by our adversaries in the region". He highlighted Pakistan's sacrifices, noting that the country has lost 80,000 lives and suffered enormous economic damage due to terrorist activities. He also reminded the council that "Al-Qaeda 'Core' was decimated in Afghanistan, largely due to Pakistan's efforts," but warned that several of its offshoots had emerged elsewhere, including in Africa. Citing reports from the UN Secretary-General and the 1267 ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Akram stressed that "Afghanistan is the main hub for ISIL-K's recruitment and facilitation.". He firmly rejected any suggestion that Pakistan is a recruitment ground for Daesh, asserting, "We are fighting Daesh, we are fighting the TTP, and we are fighting the Majeed Brigade, and we will continue to do so with determination". He expressed disappointment that while the discussion at the Council acknowledged the Daesh threat, "the threat posed to Pakistan by the TTP and the Majeed Brigade has not been mentioned by our colleagues around the table". He urged the council to take these threats seriously, emphasising that these groups are not just a danger to Pakistan but to the entire region and beyond. Ambassador Akram stressed that counterterrorism strategies must address the root causes of extremism, which include "poverty, injustice, prolonged unresolved conflicts, foreign occupation, and denial of the right to self-determination". He pointed specifically to "the occupied territories of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir" as examples where unresolved conflicts continue to fuel radicalisation.
