ISLAMABAD:
In what is being seen as a goodwill gesture towards Islamabad, Afghanistan’s intelligence agency has arrested three suspected recruiters and commanders accused of collaborating with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups.
The General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) conducted operations in the Paktika and Khost provinces, arresting Mullah Sangin Group’s commander, Hayatullah, alias Ghalchaki Tangiwal, along with two of his close associates, sources told The Express Tribune. GDA officials also dismantled the group’s local office during the raids.
Sources said the suspects have been shifted to Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi prison. Hayatullah is accused of being one of the main commanders responsible for recruiting Afghan nationals for the TTP and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Gandapur (TTG) faction.
The suspects were allegedly involved in plotting a terror attack aimed at disrupting the trilateral meeting between Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan in Kabul. They are also reported to have opposed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s August 15 “independence day” commemorations marking the US and allied forces’ exit from Afghanistan.
The arrests come amid renewed counterterrorism coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad repeatedly urging Kabul to act against TTP sanctuaries and facilitators operating on Afghan soil.
Islamabad has also claimed that the TTP has formed a nexus with other terrorist groups, particularly those operating in Balochistan, including the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its notorious Majeed Brigade. Pakistan’s claim has been endorsed by the UN Security Council which confirmed the TTP-BLA/Majeed Brigade nexus in its latest report.
