Taliban claimed to have killed eight Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh fighters and arrested several others in different raids. The series of raids targeted key fighters involved in a Kabul hotel popular with Chinese citizens, Pakistan embassy attack and many more important targets. The raids occurred in Kabul, the capital city and western Nimroz province and the target were IS members who organized the recent attacks on the Longan Hotel in Kabul, and the military airport.
Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Daesh network also had a plan to carry out more attacks and was also behind transferring foreign Daesh militants into Afghanistan.
Three hideouts of the Daesh terrorists were destroyed, and some foreign militants were also among 8 killed Daesh terrorists. “We also seized light weapons, hand grenades, mines, explosive vests, and explosives. Also arrested seven other members of Daesh,” according to Mujahid.
Some other suspects have been detained for questioning over their alleged involvement with the group.
Mujahid said that Taliban forces killed one of key Dash members along with three of his comrades in an operation in Dara Noor district of Nangarhar province on Wednesday night.
Daesh is key rival of Taliban
The development came just days after Daesh claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing near a checkpoint in the Kabul military airport and the group also stated that the attack was carried out by someone who was present in the attack on the Longan Hotel in December.
Daesh posted a photo of the suicide bomber and identified him as Abdul Jabbar, and claimed he escaped safely from the attack on the hotel after he ran out of ammunition.
The group claimed that Jabbar detonated his explosives-laden vest targeting the soldiers gathered at the checkpoint that killed 20 people and wounded 30 others.
The military airport is very close to the Taliban Interior Ministry building. In October, a suicide bombing also targeted the ministry’s compound that killed at least four people.
A Spokesman for Taliban Interior Ministry, Abdul Nafi Takor said that the blast left “several” people dead and wounded, but restrained from providing exact figures of casualties.
Daesh is considered one of the key rivals of the Taliban and has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. Targets have included Taliban top leaders, gatherings, patrols as well as members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority.
Chinese hotel and Pakistan embassy attacks
On December 2, Daesh attacked Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul and the target was apparently Chargé d’Affaires Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani when he was walking inside the embassy compound. The next day, Nizamani flew back to Islamabad and held discussions with Pakistani officials. His bodyguard was also transferred to Pakistan for medical treatment after he received injuries.
Later on Dec. 12, Daesh also stormed a hotel in Kabul, where Chinese nationals were staying; in which five Chinese citizens were wounded while three armed assailants were killed during an hour-long security operation conducted by the Taliban security members.
Besides claiming responsibility for both attacks, Daesh also attacked the Russian embassy in which a number of people were killed and wounded. Two Russian citizens were also killed in the attack.
Daesh has long been involved in a series of terrorist attacks and bombings across Afghanistan, and apparently the Taliban are scrambling to deal with its insurgency.
Cross border terrorism
Meanwhile, the Pakistani armed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned Pakistan’s main ruling parties of “concrete action” against their top leadership in the government for “declaring war” against it.
The TTP, an umbrella group of several militant groups operating in Pakistan, claimed to take actions against the top leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) if they continued support to the Pakistan Army. They also called on the local residents to avoid getting close to such leading people.
The statement came just days after Pakistan vowed to take strict action against the TTP after several terrorist attacks inside Pakistan in recent weeks. Pakistan also said that they will attack TTP hideouts based in Afghanistan. But the statement earned harsh criticism from Taliban leaders and they vowed to defend the country from any aggression. Taliban defense minister said that “this country is not without owner, and will defend the country’s sovereignty.”
In his fresh statement on Thursday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said he did not threaten Afghanistan with an attack, but said this is his country’s right to take action against militants planning to launch an attack against Pakistan.
Sanaullah had earlier said that Pakistan could target (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan if the Taliban failed to take action against the group.
Islamabad has claimed that TTP leaders have found sanctuary in Afghanistan and that the group is posing a serious threat to Pakistan from there. However, Taliban denied this claim and said that the Islamic Emirate did not provide any safe hideouts to TTP.
Major terrorist attack
Pakistan has averted a major terrorist attack in South Waziristan on Thursday after killing two suicide bombers and nine other terrorists. In a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the country’s military forces tracked a convoy of terrorists in an intelligence-based operation, in which 11 terrorists were killed, including two suicide bombers.
Among the terrorists killed were a local commander identified as Hafeezullah alias Toor Hafiz. The vehicles of the terrorists were also destroyed.
These terrorists were involved in mounting attacks on security forces and target killing of police officers in the area.
