A taliban member is seen at the explosion site near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua/IANS)
ISIL claimed that the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 45 people and was revenge for “Muslims held in Taliban prisons.”…reports Asian Lite News
Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul that resulted in six people losing their lives, Al Jazeera reported.
Notably, an explosion in Kabul on Monday killed at least six people, and injured 13 others, the Kabul police and Ministry of Interior Affairs said.
Sharing a post on X on Monday, Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesman had said, “An explosion occurred in the 6th security zone of Kabul this afternoon in the area of Qala-e-Bakhtiar, which was caused by explosives carried by a person. Unfortunately, six people, including a woman, were killed and 13 others were injured in the blast. The injured were taken to hospital and investigations are underway.”
In a Telegram post on Tuesday, ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) said one of its members detonated an explosive vest in the Afghan capital the previous day (Monday), targeting the Taliban government’s prosecution service.
The bomber waited until government employees finished their shifts and then detonated the explosive in the middle of a crowd, the post said, according to Al Jazeera.
ISIL claimed that the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 45 people and was revenge for “Muslims held in Taliban prisons.”
Notably, the most notorious attack linked to ISIL since the Taliban takeover was in 2022 when at least 53 people, including 46 girls and young women, were slain in the suicide bombing at an education centre in a Shia neighbourhood of Kabul. For which, the Taliban officials blamed ISIL for the attack.
A United Nations Security Council report released in January stated that there had been a decrease in ISIL attacks in Afghanistan because of “counter-terrorism efforts by the Taliban”. But the report also said that ISIL still had “substantial” recruitment in the country and that the armed group had “the ability to project a threat into the region and beyond”.
While violence has decreased in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, ISIL’s affiliate in the Khorasan region – Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) – still remains active.
The ISIL’s chapter spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia had also claimed responsibility for the March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, where over 140 people were killed, marking the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, Al Jazeera had reported. (ANI)
The remnants of IS militants have turned into gangs that are being hunted by Iraqi forces in remote areas of the country…reports Asian Lite News
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that the Islamic State (IS) militant group no longer poses a threat to Iraq and dialogue to end the US-led international coalition to fight the IS group continues.
Al-Sudani made the remarks during talks with Major General Kevin C. Leahy, commander of the US-led coalition against IS in Iraq, in the presence of US ambassador to Iraq Alina L. Romanowski, said al-Sudani’s media office in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.
The remnants of IS militants have turned into gangs that are being hunted by Iraqi forces in remote areas of the country, the statement said.
The meeting focused on “the progress of the technical dialogue between Iraq and the US-led international coalition about ending the coalition’s mission in the country and transferring the mission to bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition member states,” it said.
The discussions also covered ongoing cooperation in training, sharing expertise, and intelligence collaboration with Iraqi security forces, it added.
On January 25, the Iraqi foreign ministry announced that Iraq and the United States had agreed to establish the High-Level Military Committee to oversee the end of the international coalition mission in Iraq and that the focus would shift to developing comprehensive bilateral relations with coalition countries across political, economic, cultural, security, and military dimensions.
Despite the military victory over the extremist militia announced in 2019, its cells are still active in the country….reports Asian Lite News
The US Army has said they have killed a high-ranking member of the Islamic State terrorist militia in Syria in an airstrike.
“US Central Command conducted an airstrike in Syria, killing Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi, a senior ISIS official and facilitator,” the US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday.
“His death will disrupt ISIS’s ability to resource and conduct terror attacks,” it added.
“There is no indication any civilians were harmed in this strike.”
US troops are stationed in Syria to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State. They are deployed in areas controlled by the Kurdish militia YPG and its allies.
Despite the military victory over the extremist militia announced in 2019, its cells are still active in the country.
According to observers, however, the US is also seeking to limit the influence of its arch-enemy Iran with its continued military presence in the region.
According to a defence official in Washington, around 700 US soldiers are still in Syria. Their deployment has become more dangerous with the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Pro-Iranian militias have repeatedly carried out attacks on the often small US military bases in the desert.
Security personnel inspect a police check-post following a terrorist attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua/IANS)
Additional Inspector General of Police Shaukat Abbas told the media on Monday that at least 83 people were also injured in the attack…reports Asian Lite News
The terror group, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-K) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in Pakistan which led to the deaths of 54 people, including more than 20 minors.
A statement released late Monday by Amaq, the propaganda arm of IS-K, said that a suicide bomber conducted the attack on Sunday in Khar area of Bajaur district, reports Xinhua news agency.
Additional Inspector General of Police Shaukat Abbas told the media on Monday that at least 83 people were also injured in the attack
“At least 12 of the deceased are below 12 years of age. The medics fear that the death toll might further rise,” he added.
JUI-F’s Khar emir Ziaullah, his information secretary Mujahid Khan and his 22-year old son were among the victims.
Abbas said that the convention began at 2 p.m. on Sunday and the explosion occurred two hours later, reports Dawn news.
Meanwhile, District Police Officer (DPO) Nazeer Khan said that preliminary probe had revealed that up to 12 kg of explosives was used in the blast.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan and Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat Khan visited Bajaur on Monday.
Last year, the IS-K said it was behind attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which has a network of mosques and schools.
In June, it said they were behind the assassination of a party official in the village of Inayat Killi.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal and his US counterpart Antony Blinken chair the Riyadh-hosted ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh. (Photo: SPA)
Saudi Arabia has joined the presidency of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh Africa Focus Group, along with the US, Morocco, Italy and Niger….reports Asian Lite News
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his US counterpart Antony Blinken chaired the Riyadh-hosted ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh, where they pledged commitment to joint efforts in preventing the resurgence of the terrorist organisation.
In his address to the meeting, the minister announced that the Kingdom joined the presidency of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh Africa Focus Group, along with the US, Morocco, Italy and Niger. He also welcomed the establishment of a focus group to combat Daesh in the Khorasan Province in Afghanistan, where this group will be an essential pillar for reducing the presence and spread of the terrorist organisation in the area.
Prince Farhan explained that the fight against extremism and terrorism requires all to make additional efforts to win the minds and hearts.
“Media, cultural and educational tools can combat their influence, and their paramount importance can be utilized to provide a vibrant, practical model for a better future based on tolerance, openness, sustainable development and prosperity, as exemplified by the Saudi Vision 2030 and similar initiatives,” Prince Faisal said.
Such initiatives and education allow young people to become the makers of the future, as they are the Saudi Vision’s goal and the pillars of its achievements, he added.
The minister stressed that the Kingdom has always believed that the path to security, stability, development and prosperity requires permanent collective efforts to combat terrorism and its criminal groups and confront an extremist ideology that contradicts all religious, human and moral values.
“Out of the belief of the Kingdom in fighting deviated ideologies, uprooting terrorism and renouncing and extremism, the Kingdom has embarked on establishing several centers to combat hatred and extremist terrorism ideologies, the most important of which is the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal),” the minister said in a statement.
GCC-US joint ministerial
During the GCC-US joint ministerial meeting, the Foreign Ministers discussed enhancing and developing joint Gulf work in various fields and intensifying the GCC-US action and coordination on multiple regional and international issues.
The participants at the meeting engaged in dialogue regarding efforts to reach solutions to many crises facing the Middle East region and the world.
On Iran, the GCC Council and the US reiterated their commitment to freedom of navigation and maritime security in the region and their determination to counter aggressive and illegal actions at sea or elsewhere that might threaten the shipping lanes, international trade, and oil installations in the GCC states.
On Yemen, both parties underscored the importance of the ongoing, UN-led peace effort in Yemen following the April 2022 truce and ensuing calm. They expressed their high appreciation of the efforts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UN and US envoys to this end.
The two sides reaffirmed their support for Yemeni sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity and for the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen and urged the Houthis to seize this opportunity and build on the past 14 months of calm to bring relief to millions of Yemenis.
On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the US and GCC underscored their commitment to reach a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East in accordance with the two-state solution, along 1967 borders with mutually agreed swaps consistent with internationally recognized parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The Ministers expressed appreciation for Egypt’s critical role mediating between Israel and Gaza armed factions during recent hostilities. The Ministers also emphasized the importance of bolstering the Palestinian Authority and improving the everyday lives of Palestinians including through humanitarian assistance and efforts to bolster the Palestinian economy.
On Syria, both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to reaching a political solution to the crisis in a manner that preserves Syria’s unity and sovereignty, meets the aspirations of its people, is consistent with international humanitarian law, and is in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).
In that regard, the Ministers welcomed Arab efforts to resolve the crisis in a step-for-step manner, consistent with UNSCR 2254, as agreed during the Amman consultative meeting of the Arab Ministerial Contact Group on Syria on May 1, 2023.
The Ministers reiterated support for US and Coalition forces, who are working to achieve the enduring defeat of ISIS in Syria.
The two sides stressed the need to create secure conditions for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons consistent with UNHCR standards, and the importance of providing the necessary support to Syrian refugees and to the countries hosting them.
On the war in Ukraine, the Ministers reaffirmed the importance of respecting the principle of sovereignty and international law, including the UN Charter and the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
TTP members and official sources in Kabul also confirmed to the VOA of Gen Faiz’s presence in Kabul for talks with the banned outfir mediated by the Haqqani Network….reports Asian Lite News
A Pakistani delegation led by Lt General Faiz Hameed, former director of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), visited Kabul and reportedly held talks with representatives of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, a media report said.
However, there was no official confirmation from either side about the development but reports suggested that it was part of a renewed push by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to broker some kind of a deal between Pakistan and the TTP, The Express Tribune report said.
“Faiz Hameed, the incumbent head of Peshawar Army Corps Command, along with his delegation had arrived in Kabul for negotiations with the TTP,” The Express Tribune quoted Afghan journalist Bill Sarwary as saying in a tweet.
TTP members and official sources in Kabul also confirmed to the VOA of Gen Faiz’s presence in Kabul for talks with the banned outfir mediated by the Haqqani Network.
Al-Jazeera journalist Suddaf Chaudry also spotted Gen Faiz at the lobby of a private hotel in Kabul, The Express Tribune report said.
Gen Faiz as head of the ISI had been instrumental in brokering a deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban.
His reported presence in Kabul seems to stem from his close connections with the Afghan Taliban as well as his experience in handling them.
The talks with the banned TTP took place against the backdrop of a surge in terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent months.
Contrary to Pakistan’s expectations, since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last August there has been an increase in terrorist attacks targeting the security forces.
This year alone, over 120 Pakistani security officials including officers were killed in attacks mostly carried out by the TTP, The Express Tribune reported.
This has mounted pressure on the Taliban government to take action against the TTP and its affiliates currently operating out of the neighbouring country.
In April when terrorists launched cross border attacks leaving Pakistani soldiers dead, Pakistani Air force jets reportedly pounded the hideouts of TTP across the border.
ISIS have now made its position clear by hoping for complete destruction on both sides which will unleash global chaos and bring down the West…reports Asian Lite News
The Islamic State have praised the Ukraine war as a “divine punishment” for the West which it hopes will destroy the “enemies of Islam”, Daily Mail reported.
The terror group labelled Russia’s invasion of its neighbour as “crusaders against crusaders” in a full-page article in its al-Naba newsletter.
It said Muslims should not take sides in the war and predicted that there would be “major consequences” regardless of the result.
The editorial said: “What is happening today, the direct bloody war between the Orthodox crusaders – Russia and Ukraine – is but one example of God’s punishment for them, as described in the Qu’ran.
“Whether long or short, this Russian-Ukrainian war is but the beginning of the next wars between the Crusader countries, and the images of destruction and death we see are but a small scene of the situation in which the great wars begin.”
The IS added the invasion was “not surprising”, saying it was “the state of the escalating competition between America and Russia to control the countries of Eastern Europe, especially after the policy of ‘support and containment’ that America pursued,” Daily Mail reported.
Islamic extremists have been debating which side to take in the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin formed an alliance with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad against ISIS in the Syrian civil war and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and Ukraine is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
ISIS have now made its position clear by hoping for complete destruction on both sides which will unleash global chaos and bring down the West, Daily Mail reported.
The terrorists said the invasion was an “amusing punishment… upon them for their disbelief in God Almighty”.
The attack in Peshawar comes at a time when the country’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed an IS-K commander named Bilal Khan, during a police encounter on January 19 this year….writes HAMZA AMEER
The recent devastating suicide bombing, targeted at a Shia Muslim mosque in Peshawar has marked the re-emergence of the dreaded Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) terror group in Pakistan.
The IS-K claimed responsibility for the attack in which a suicide bomber blew himself up after entering into the mosque during Friday prayers, claiming lives of at least 63 and injuring over 200.
It also claimed the terror attack just outside Kabul airport during the evacuation process of foreign forces was underway after the Taliban takeover, as well as many others on mosques and other places in Afghanistan, becoming the biggest opposition to the incumbent regime.
Pakistan had been on consultation with the Afghan Taliban and working towards a joint strategy to counter terror threats from organisations operating along the two countries’ border.
The attack in Peshawar comes at a time when the country’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed an IS-K commander named Bilal Khan, during a police encounter on January 19 this year.
It is believed that the commander’s killing activated many sleeper cells, associated with the terror group, who planned to respond with a major suicide attacks.
It is believed that Bilal Khan, who was a member of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), joined the IS in 2015, pledging allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi, the group’s slain leader.
Experts believe that intelligence-based operations by Pakistani security agencies against terror elements, including the IS-K, have not only increased targeted attacks, but supporters of the Afghan Taliban have also come under deadly attacks in Peshawar.
The emergence of the IS-K in the heart of Peshawar raises major concerns and a new set of challenges for the Pakistani authorities, as neighbouring Afghanistan conducts search operations in various parts, looking to neutralise the militants.
Some reports also indicate that many IS-K militants have already fled Afghanistan and entered Pakistan, while sleeper cells of the group have also been activated.
It is because of this reason that a major surge of terror attacks is being witnessed in Pakistan.
According to data from Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), there were at least 207 incidents of terrorism in Pakistan in 2021, a 45 per cent increase over 2020.
The TTP has also been carrying out targeted attacks in various parts of the country, adding on to the challenges Pakistani security forces are confronted with.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that a fresh wave of terrorism has hit the country where the TTP is targeting policemen in major cities with an aim to breach and break the first line of defense.
While the threat of terrorism looms, many believe that the IS-K can be a much bigger problem than the TTP.
While negotiations with the TTP remains on the agenda of the Pakistani government, it is feared that disagreements among the TTP militants, as well as a deal with Islamabad, may push them towards joining the IS-K.
3,500 families flee homes in Syria’s Hasakah amid US airtstrikes
ISIS chief al-Qurayshi was imprisoned in the US-run Camp Bucca in Iraq starting 2004…reports Asian Lite News
The United States on Thursday announced the killing of ISIS chief Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in a counterterrorism operation in northwest Syria.
“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place,” the White House said in a statement.
“Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi–the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation,” the statement added.
The White House said Biden will deliver remarks to the American people later on Thursday.
ISIS chief al-Qurayshi was imprisoned in the US-run Camp Bucca in Iraq starting 2004, according to US media reports.
Reports said he was active in IS’ predecessor organization and eventually became one of former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi most trusted deputies.
Al-Qurayshi is also seen as the architect behind IS’ killing of the Yazidi religious minority and oversaw terror group’s global operations.
The slain IS chief is also credited for preventing the fall of terror organisations following Baghdadi’s death in a US operation in October 2019.
The US had an offering million dollars of reward for information that leads to al-Qurashi’s capture. (ANI)
A senior IS-K official from Orakzai said the body of the militant commander will be shifted to his hometown by Tuesday….reports Asian Lite News
The former chief of militant outfit Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K), Aslam Farooqi, was killed during a shootout in northern Afghanistan, Express Tribune reported.
There are conflicting reports about the death of the militant commander on Sunday.
Reportedly, the militant leader, who hailed from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district, was killed during an investigation against organised kidnappers and criminal mafia. The investigation resulted in a clash and Farooqi, along with his aides, was killed as a result, the report said.
However, sources suggest that the IS-K leader was killed as a result of an internal dispute within the militant organisation also known as Daesh.
A senior IS-K official from Orakzai said the body of the militant commander will be shifted to his hometown by Tuesday.
Farooqi had made a deal with the Afghan forces during the government of then President Ashraf Ghani after the fall of the IS-K in Nangarhar in 2020. He was later replaced as the head of IS-K and Shahab Mahajer took over the militant faction.
This is the second high-profile militant commander getting killed during this month.
A week earlier, Muhammad Khurassani, the operational commander and spokesperson for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was killed in Nangarhar province.
Aged between 48 and 50, Khorasani’s real name was Khalid Balti. At the time of his killing, he was not just the TTP’s operational commander, but also its spokesperson.
Hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan, Khurassani received his initial education from his native town. In 2007, he joined the Tehreek Nifaze Shariat Muhammadi in Swat.
Pic credit ANI
More troops to Sar-e-Pul for security
Amid rising threats from the Islamic State (ISIS), the Taliban deployed more than 2,500 troops to the northern province of Sar-e-Pul to provide security on Monday.
“Over 1,500 Mujahedeen are settled in Squadron-3 and over 1,000 others stationed in Squadron-4. Now, also 200 Mujahedeen have graduated after taking six weeks of training,” said Mufti Mohammad Muqtasid, a senior commander of the Islamic Emirate in the province, reported Tolo News.
The commander of the Al-Fatha corps in northern Afghanistan, Ataullah Omari, said that the newly deployed forces are professionally trained.
The commander denied reports about the presence of Daesh or ISIS fighters in the province and warned that they would prevent any attacks, reported Tolo News.
The Al-Fatha corpse is in charge of ensuring security in Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Jawzjan, Balkh and Samangan provinces.
Previously, the chief of staff of the Islamic Emirate forces announced that efforts were underway to form a unit of 100,000 troops, reported Tolo News.
The Taliban-ISIS standoff has been ongoing in Afghanistan since 2015, when ISIS began forming terrorist cells in the country and recruiting fighters, compromising the Taliban influence.
Fierce clashes had erupted between the Taliban and the IS in Nangarhar, Logar and Farah provinces, reported Sputnik.
Since the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan in mid-August, ISIS has carried out several terrorist attacks across the country, including the blast at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in August that killed more than 180 people, and an attack at a Shiite mosque in Kunduz city in October that resulted in over 150 deaths.
The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their commitment to eliminate the IS faction in Afghanistan and pledged to stop the attacks. (ANI)
