Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) leader Abdullah Orakzai, a Pakistani national known as Aslam Farooqi (43 yrs) and 19 of his associates including Qari Zahid and Saifullah @ Abu Talha were arrested in the southern province of Kandahar during a complex operation by the special forces of NDS (National Directorate of Security) Afghanistan, for their involvement in deadly attack (March 25) on Kabul Gurudwara. Afghan security forces have revealed that Aslam Farooqi has confessed (April 04) his strong relationship with Pakistan’s ISI.
According to a statement by NDS, Farooqi is a native of Orakzai agency which is located in the tribal areas of Pakistan. He was operating as the commander of Daesh’s military wing in Pakistan’s Peshawar city and was deployed in Abdul Khel valley of Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar. After the killing of Abu Saeed Bajawri, Farooqi was appointed as Daesh’s shadow governor in Afghanistan. He was enjoying close relations with the other terrorist groups such as the “Haqqani network” and “Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)”.
This comes after Daesh recently claimed two deadly attacks in Afghanistan including an attack (March 25) on a Sikh temple in Kabul which killed 27 people. On March 5, a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, leader of the Hezb-e-Wahdat party, where Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other politicians were attending, was attacked when the head of the High Peace Council, Mohammad Karim Khalili, was giving a speech. 32 people were killed in the attack and Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.
IS-K is a loose conglomerate of several jihadist tanzeem with differing targets and aims. The group’s relations with the Taliban and Pakistan are critical elements in its still evolving identity.
Farooqi, who had been previously in charge of IS-K operations in the Khyber region on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was promoted to the leadership in place of Maulavi Zia-ul-Haq in April 2019. This has been revealed in a report submitted to the UN Security Council in July 2019 by a UN committee that monitors Daesh (or Islamic State), Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
As per intelligence officials from Kabul and Delhi, on the instruction of Haqqani network, LeT, IS-K used Kasaragod resident Muhsin along with three other terrorists to launch attack on the Sikh Shrine in Kabul. Qari Zahid was in-charge of ISIL’s military in Afghanistan, and Saifullah, known as Abu Abdullah of Pakistan, has been responsible for recruiting individuals in Nangarhar province. Officials tracking Kerala’s ISIS module believe that the terrorist attack on Kabul’s Gurudwara was carried out by the Haqqani Network with Lashkar-e-Taiba from Pakistan. It is a deliberate attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the world that ISKP is behind the attack. Earlier, it was found that ISKP claimed the attacks where the Haqqani network was originally involved. Pakistan is reportedly promoting ISKP and other groups as a check on the Taliban.
All the three attackers of the Kabul Gurudwara Shrine, including an Indian national Abu Khalid-al-Hindi were killed in the exchange of fire by Afghan security forces. Investigative agencies suspect that Abu Khalid-al-Hindi joined the LeT a few months before the attack on Kabul. This is part of the ISI’s strategy to put forth that Indian Muslims are working against the Indian government. ISI is also brainwashing Indian Muslims under a well-planned conspiracy to attack the Indian security forces or Indian bases to convey the message that Muslims in India are against the Indian government.
Afghan security sources speaking to Afghan media stated that the Haqqani network, an ISI controlled group that is part of the Taliban, wanted to attack the Indian mission in Kabul, but failed due to tight security. Since they were not able to attack the Indian mission, they attacked the Gurudwara instead. This attack was a clear message to India and a signal to curtail Indian influence in Afghanistan in the near future.
Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place at the Dharamshala Sikh Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 25 March 2020, which resulted in at least 25 people killed and many wounded, for which ISIL-K has claimed responsibility.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Afghanistan and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
Earlier 26 March, The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
Source: International Media
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Editor & Publisher : Sukriti Mondal.
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