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The Diplomat
25-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Implications of ISKP's Declaration of War Against the Baloch Liberation Army
ISKP is weaker than the BLA in Balochistan. That could restrain it from attacking the latter in the immediate future. On July 20, the Voice of Khorasan, a pro-Taliban and anti-Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) media outlet, claimed that the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had eliminated the last remaining ISKP fighters in Balochistan's Mastung district. This was preceded by a 36-minute Pashtu-language video put out by Al Azaim Foundation, the ISKP's propaganda arm, on May 25, detailing a BLA raid in Mastung that killed 30 ISKP fighters. In the video, ISKP vowed retaliation against the BLA, other Baloch separatist groups, as well as Baloch and Pashtun nationalist groups like the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC) and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). Since its return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban regime has carried out ruthless crackdowns on ISKP both at the operational and ideological levels. It arrested and killed several of ISKP's top commanders and leaders. Simultaneously, the Taliban launched Al-Mirsad, a multilingual online portal, which provides robust ideological rebuttals of ISKP's ideological propaganda along with running reports of the Taliban's crackdown against the ISKP. These developments forced ISKP to relocate its assets and fighters across the border in Pakistan. In Pakistan, ISKP has a strong presence in Bajaur and Mastung districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, respectively. It was natural for the terror group to set up its presence in Mastung as claimed in the May 25 video. Balochistan is crucial for ISKP for two reasons. First, Balochistan is home to key anti-Shia and anti-Iran Sunni extremist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jaish al-Adl. In the past, ISKP has leveraged its alliances with these groups to survive and persist. Second, Balochistan's strategic location at the confluence of South and Central Asia makes it a key transit and logistical hub for ISKP. In the last couple of years, ISKP has recruited from Central Asia and carried out attacks in Russia, Iran, and Turkiye. The terror group's network stretches from Turkiye and Iran to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Russia through Balochistan. Reportedly, ISKP fighters transit through Balochistan to travel between these countries and beyond. In March, the arrest in Pakistan of Mohammad Sharifullah, the mastermind of the Abbey Gate attack, along with the 48-member cell of ISKP responsible for the overseas attacks, revealed the terror group's growing footprint in Balochistan. More recently, in a joint operation, Pakistani and Turkish authorities arrested a key operative of ISKP, Ozgur Altun alias Abu Yasir At-Turki, from Balochistan. He was closely linked to Al-Azaim Media Foundation and acted as a moderator and disseminator of its Turkish and English content. In short, ISKP's presence in Balochistan has been building up for the last few years. Despite being in ideologically opposite camps, Baloch separatists and ISKP hitherto showed tactical shrewdness by not opening a front against each other. Their pact of non-aggression was consistent with the past pattern when Lashkar-e-Jhangvi also avoided fighting Baloch separatist groups. Reportedly, ISKP's fighters coexisted with BLA militants in Mastung until they were gunned down in a BLA attack in March. Prior to that, both groups remained tight-lipped about their secret pact and refrained from verbal or physical clashes. It is not uncommon for ideologically divergent groups to engage in covert tactical pacts against a common adversary. Both the BLA and ISKP had an incentive to tolerate each other in order not to provide any counterterrorism advantage to the Pakistani law enforcement agencies. Their pact of non-aggression shows that at times ideological narratives can be misleading unless they are seen together with the ground conditions or local contexts in which they operate. While declaring war against Baloch separatists in Balochistan, ISKP has engaged in ideological critique of territorial nationalism, ethnonationalist politics, and democracy. It has accused Baloch separatist groups of exploiting the suffering of Baloch masses for to advance their separatist and ideological agendas. At the same time, it has accused the Mahrang Baloch-led BYC and the Manzoor Pashteen-led PTM of hypocrisy and opportunism. ISKP's declaration of war against Baloch separatists can have serious implications for Balochistan's security landscape. However, it will not be easy for ISKP to fight the BLA, as it is outgunned and outnumbered by the latter in Balochistan. Nevertheless, ISKP, numerical disadvantages notwithstanding, has successfully used suicide terrorism against the operationally stronger Taliban in Afghanistan. It will use the same modus operandi in Balochistan. The BLA's counterresponse can be expected to further weaken the already fragile ISKP in Balochistan. ISKP has still not recovered from the two major setbacks it suffered in March, i.e., the arrest of Mohammad Sharifullah and his cell as well as the BLA's attack on its fighters. Hence, the ISKP is unlikely to engage in tit-for-tat violence with BLA anytime soon. At any rate, if ISKP attacks the BLA and fighting ensues between the two terror groups, it will increase the level of violence in Balochistan, where the security situation is already volatile. At the same time, if ISKP targets the political rallies of BYC, as it has warned, it will deter people from launching protests. Any BLA-ISKP inter-group clashes will ease counterterrorism challenges for Pakistan's security institutions in the short-term. In conflict zones, fighting between terrorist groups is tactically advantageous for counterterrorist forces. It also becomes easier for security institutions to infiltrate and gather information about terrorist groups when they are engaged in fighting. This information can be used for decapitation raids. ISKP's secret pact of non-aggression and its eventual declaration of war against the BLA shines light on the complex nature of militant and security landscapes in Pakistan. While circumstantial evidence pointed to some form of tactical accommodation between the two terror groups, it was hard to establish these linkages with conclusive evidence until the May 25 video. Keeping that in view, an accurate understanding of the inner workings of militant groups makes the job of security institutions easier. Therefore, to stay ahead of terrorist groups, Pakistani security institutions must invest their energy and resources in building their intelligence capital.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pak valuable ally in terror fight: US Centcom chief Michael Kurilla
US Central Command chief praises Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts, particularly its partnership with the Taliban against ISIS in tribal areas. He highlighted Pakistan's role in the arrest and extradition of an ISIS-K planner involved in the 2021 Kabul airport attack. The General advocates for increased cooperation with Pakistan as the Taliban grapples with internal security challenges. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: In remarks that have raised eyebrows, the US Central Command chief has highlighted Pakistan's "value as a partner" in countering terrorism and made a case for increasing cooperation with the country to take on terror outfits. The General also said Pakistan has a 'phenomenal partnership' with Taliban in going after ISIS operatives in tribal areas and that the US has been providing a statement before the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, Gen Michael Kurilla said that ISIS-K remains active in tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and that Pakistan's value as a partner will increase as the Taliban faces security challenges within its borders."The actions of our Pakistani partners that led to the arrest and extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah, the ISIS-K planner behind the 26 August 2021 suicide attack at Abbey Gate that killed 13 US service members and 160 civilians, highlights Pakistan's value as a partner in countering Central and South Asia terror external operations threats worldwide, and it will only increase as the Taliban continues to face security challenges within its borders," the officer also said that Pakistani Army Chief Gen Asim Munir called him after the arrest of the terrorist and asked him to inform the Defence Secretary and US President. Gen Kurilla has been regularly meeting Munir in the past few months"ISIS-K has been disrupted through pressure by both the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, though they continue to retain a significant network and freedom of manoeuvre in the tribal areas," he remarks come as India has embarked on global efforts to showcase Pakistan as a nation that supports terrorists and uses terrorism as a tool of statecraft. India has sent seven all-party delegations on a world tour to highlight Pakistan's continued support for terror outfits.
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.
Arab News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Accused Daesh militant handed over to US by Pakistan appears in court over Kabul airport attack
ALEXANDRIA, United States: A Daesh operative who allegedly helped carry out the 2021 suicide bombing outside Kabul airport during the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan appeared in a Virginia court Wednesday. Mohammad Sharifullah has confessed to scouting out the route to the airport, where the suicide bomber later detonated his device among packed crowds trying to flee days after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the Justice Department said. The blast at the Abbey Gate killed at least 170 Afghans as well as 13 US troops who were securing the airport's perimeter. Sharifullah appeared in a court in Alexandria, near the US capital Washington, wearing light blue prison garb and a black face mask. He was officially appointed a public defender and provided with an interpreter. He did not enter a plea. His next appearance will be in the same courthouse on Monday, and he will stay in custody until then, the judge said. Sharifullah — who the US says also goes by the name Jafar and is a member of Daesh's Khorasan branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan — was detained by Pakistani authorities and brought to the United States. President Donald Trump triumphantly announced his arrest Tuesday in an address to Congress, calling him 'the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity.' Daesh militants gave Sharifullah a cellphone and a SIM card and told him to check the route to the airport, according to the Justice Department's affidavit in the case. When he gave it the all-clear, they told him to leave the area, it said. 'Later that same day, Sharifullah learned of the attack at HKIA [Hamid Karzai International Airport] described above and recognized the alleged bomber as an Daesh-K operative he had known while incarcerated,' the affidavit said, using an alternative acronym for the group. Sharifullah is charged with 'providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.' Trump thanked Islamabad 'for helping arrest this monster.' 'This evil Daesh-K terrorist orchestrated the brutal murder of 13 heroic Marines,' US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Sharifullah also admitted to involvement in several other attacks, the Justice Department said, including the March 2024 Moscow Crocus City Hall attack, in which he said 'he had shared instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons to would-be attackers' by video. The United States withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, ending a chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans who had rushed to Kabul's airport in the hope of boarding a flight out of the country. Images of crowds storming the airport, climbing onto aircraft as they took off — and some clinging to a departing US military cargo plane as it rolled down the runway — aired on news bulletins around the world. In 2023, the White House announced that a Daesh official involved in plotting the airport attack had been killed in an operation by Afghanistan's new Taliban government. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for acknowledging his country's role in counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, and promised to 'continue to partner closely with the United States' in a post on X. Pakistan's strategic importance has waned since the US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has seen violence rebound in the border regions. Tensions between the neighboring countries have soared, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil who launch attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban government denies the charges and in a statement said Sharifullah's arrest 'is proof' that Daesh hideouts are on Pakistani soil. Daesh, which has claimed several recent attacks in Afghanistan, has staged a growing number of bloody international assaults, including killing more than 90 people in an Iranian bombing last year. Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director at the Wilson Center, said on X that Pakistan was trying to 'leverage US concerns about terror in Afghanistan and pitch a renewed security partnership.'
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US military 'grateful to Pakistan' for Sharifullah's arrest
Listen to article The United States Central Command (US Centcom) has expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its role in capturing the main suspect behind the deadly 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. In a post on its official Urdu-language account on X, US Centcom acknowledged Pakistan's cooperation in arresting Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, an alleged Daesh-Khorasan (ISIS-K) operative. 'We are grateful to Pakistan for its cooperation in the arrest of Sharifullah, the main suspect in the attack on the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, and for its cooperation with the United States in bringing the suspect to justice,' the statement read. The August 2021 bombing at Kabul Airport, which occurred amid the chaotic US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan, killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US service members. Sharifullah was apprehended in Pakistan following intelligence provided by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to a news agency report. He has confessed to scouting the attack route, officials said. US President Donald Trump announced the arrest during his address to a joint session of Congress, calling Sharifullah a 'monster' and thanking Pakistan for its assistance. 'This is a very huge day for the affected families,' Trump said. Sharifullah has since been extradited to the United States and produced before a court in Virginia. According to the US Justice Department, he has admitted involvement in multiple attacks, including the March 2024 attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall. He allegedly provided video instructions on using AK-style rifles and other weapons to would-be attackers. US Centcom highlighted the collaboration between Islamabad and Washington, saying both nations share a 'common interest in the war on terrorism.'
