آگاهان: مراکز آموزشی داعش در پاکستان موقعیت دارند

While Pakistani officials consistently claim that no groups such as ISIS operate within their territory, recent developments suggest that ISIS-Khorasan still maintains safe havens and active networks in Pakistan.

The assassination of a senior ISIS-K member in the city of Peshawar has once again raised questions about the group’s presence and activities on the other side of the hypothetical Durand Line.

Security sources told TOLOnews that Nusrat, also known as Pahlawan Musa and Abu Zar, one of the key figures in ISIS-K, was killed in Peshawar.

He reportedly played a role in planning attacks in Kabul during 2022 and 2023 and led the group’s “Pahlawan” center in Pakistan.

Sarwar Niazi, a military analyst, said: “It’s clear that Pakistan has long trained terrorist groups on its soil and sent them to neighboring countries, especially Afghanistan, to serve its interests.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Peace, also confirmed that a key ISIS-K member responsible for plotting attacks in Kabul had been killed in Peshawar.

He has repeatedly called on Pakistan to stop providing safe haven to this group.

Some military experts say the incident highlights that the threat posed by ISIS is not confined to Afghanistan’s borders but is rooted regionally.

They stress that genuine regional cooperation is essential to fully eliminate the group.

Aziz Maarej, a political analyst, stated: “It is a fact that Pakistan is the producer of terrorism in the region.”

Nisar Ahmad Sherzad, another political analyst, added: “The killing of senior ISIS leaders in Pakistan shows the country supports the group and that its training centers are located within Pakistani territory.”

This is not the first time reports have emerged about the presence or killing of ISIS commanders in Pakistan.

In recent years, several key members of the group have also been targeted in the cities of Quetta, Karachi, and Peshawar.

Analysts believe ISIS activity along the Afghanistan–Pakistan crossings is the result of years of instrumental use of extremist groups in regional security policies.