ISLAMABAD: A senior commander of the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, Daesh-Khorasan (ISIS-K), who was linked to one of Pakistan’s deadliest bombings, has been killed in northern Afghanistan, security sources said on Sunday.
The terrorist, identified as Muhammad Ihsani, also known as Anwaar, was shot dead in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, according to the sources. Of Tajik origin, Ihsani was responsible for training and escorting suicide bombers into Pakistan and played a key role in planning the 2022 Kocha Risaldar mosque bombing in Peshawar, which killed 67 worshippers.
Security sources described him as a major facilitator of cross-border terror operations. According to security sources, Ihsani was central to Daesh-K’s recruitment and logistics networks, particularly in moving Tajik fighters into Pakistan.
His death comes amid a surge in terrorist violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021.
Pakistani authorities say attacks have increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, with banned groups such as ISIS-K and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghan soil as a base for cross-border assaults.
In August alone, terrorist attacks in Pakistan increased by 74% compared with July, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank. PICSS reported 194 fatalities from militant attacks during the month.
Earlier this month, Pakistani forces killed three Daesh-K terrorists, including an Afghan national, during “Operation Sarbakaf” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The operation is continuing in Bajaur district, where authorities say they are targeting facilitators of both ISIS-K and TTP.
Regional powers have also voiced alarm. Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia, in a joint statement issued after a quadrilateral meeting on Afghanistan last week, urged the Taliban authorities to take “effective, concrete and verifiable actions” against terrorist groups. They called for the dismantling of training camps, disruption of financing, and prevention of cross-border recruitment.
Despite recent setbacks, Daesh-K remains active across Afghanistan and continues to pose a regional security challenge.
