Afghan Security Forces successfully apprehended six alleged affiliates of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in a targeted operation in Sar-e-Pul province (Afghanistan), the Police Command reported. These individuals are suspected of involvement in recent attacks orchestrated by the terror outfit. While authorities refrained from disclosing names, the arrests underline ongoing efforts to combat the ISKP’s reign of terror in the region.
The ISKP, infamous for its extremist ideology, has openly branded Shias and even the Afghan Taliban as apostates, using religion as a guise for its violent agenda. This is a pattern evident across many terrorist groups that exploit Islam to justify their atrocities, labeling non-Islamist regimes as infidels and Islamist governments as apostates, thereby perpetuating their cycle of bloodshed.
While Afghanistan intensifies its counter-terrorism operations, Pakistan’s role as a breeding ground for such extremist factions cannot be overlooked. The Pakistan Army is not only fostering and shielding terror groups for its geopolitical agenda, but has also played a duplicitous role in the region. By allowing extremist organizations like ISKP to operate and flourish within its borders, the Paki establishment has not only destabilized its neighbors but also sowed chaos within its own society.
Despite publicly denouncing terrorism, the Pak Army has been repeatedly exposed for harboring extremist leaders and providing safe havens for militant outfits. This policy of supporting proxies for strategic depth has backfired, with terror networks like ISKP becoming uncontrollable monsters that now threaten regional and global security.