Taliban Islamic State Khorasan Province officer; ISKP chief killed.
The operations were carried out against a backdrop of meetings between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban to address renewed threats posed by banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a key member of the militant group Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Qari Fateh, was killed in an operation carried out by the Afghan Taliban in Kabul.
Fateh was the intelligence and operations chief who had recently masterminded several attacks in the city, including those targeting diplomatic missions and mosques. The operation also resulted in the deaths of two other Daesh members.
In a separate operation, the Afghan Taliban administration arrested a high-ranking ISKP officer, known to be working as the terrorist organization’s subcontinent chief. The officer had been involved in planning and executing attacks in the region.
The recent operations come amidst meetings between Pakistan and the Taliban to address the renewed threat posed by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan had managed to secure a “fresh commitment” from the Afghan Taliban during a high-level delegation led by the country’s defense minister to Kabul.
The visit was accompanied by Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majid, and Special envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq.
During the visit, the Afghan interim government shared details of its actions against terrorist groups, including TTP affiliates. Pakistani officials conveyed their concerns and informed the Taliban that the policy of holding talks with the TTP was over.
The Taliban did not insist on talks, and officials were confident that the outcome of the high-level visit would be visible in the coming weeks. Pakistan expects the Afghan Taliban to take action against terrorist outfits operating out of Afghan soil.
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