Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid a visit to Balochistan province on Tuesday, days after two deadly terrorist strikes at different military bases killed nine soldiers. The terrorist raids on 2 February have been claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist organisation, an offshoot of […]

Lt Gen Erik Kurilla, the nominee to head Centcom, floated the prospect of co-operation as ISIS step up attacks in Afghanistan President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee US forces in the Middle East and Central Asia is floating the possibility of co-operating with the Taliban in certain instances to take out ISIS targets in Afghanistan. Lt Gen Erik Kurilla — […]

Exclusive: first reported case of attempted international recruitment to IS since US left Afghanistan Two suspected Islamic State recruits, one of them carrying a British passport, were seized by the Taliban when they tried to slip into Afghanistan last autumn through its northern border, the Guardian can reveal. The men, who were carrying more than £10,000 in cash, military fatigues […]

The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan last August and the humanitarian crisis that followed have confronted the Biden administration with a dilemma: How to keep the flow of international assistance into a country facing mass hunger while ensuring the aid money does not enrich Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders? The answer has wide implications, not just for easing the […]

Militants firing from inside Afghanistan killed at least five Pakistani soldiers at a border post in northwestern Kurram district on Sunday, the Pakistan military said, the second such attack since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) came into power in August. The Pakistan army said it retaliated, causing heavy casualties, but independent confirmation was not immediately possible because the districts […]

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday rejected a report by the UN Security Council Monitoring Group that militant groups in the country enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan since the take over by the IEA in August. According to the report, which was released last week, the UN stated that the return of the IEA to power has raised […]

Jafar Mahdavi, head of Millat-e-Mutahid Party, has called on the international community to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and release Afghanistan’s frozen assets. Mahdawi, who was among the delegation of Afghan civil activists who visited Norway for a three-day summit last month, stressed that Afghans would suffer more hardships if the West fails to recognize the current government […]

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said Sunday that five Air Force pilots who fled the country last year have returned home. According to a statement issued by the ministry of defense, the pilots returned home as a result of encouragement by the IEA. Efforts continue to ensure that all professional staff of the Ministry of National Defense return to […]

At least 50 Daesh (ISIS-K) militants have surrendered to Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces in the eastern province of Nangarhar, local officials said on Sunday. According to the IEA, the militants surrendered following mediation efforts by tribal elders. Dr. Bashir, head of Nangarhar Intelligence Directorate, said that based on an amnesty decree, Daesh militants surrendered to the IEA and […]

Islamabad must tread carefully with its long-time Taliban allies back in power in Kabul. Pitfalls lie ahead for Pakistan’s domestic security and its foreign relations. The Pakistani government should encourage Afghanistan’s new authorities down the path of compromise with international demands regarding rights and counter-terrorism. What’s new? Pakistan faces difficult challenges in shaping policy toward Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Though Pakistan continues to […]