ISLAMABAD: A majority of militants fleeing operations in Pakistan's Mohmand and Orakzai agencies joined the Afghan chapter of the militant Islamic State (IS) group, Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai said on Wednesday.

Addressing a seminar in Islamabad, the Afghan envoy said IS has become a major threat in the region.

About 60 to 70 per cent militants fleeing Pakistan during offensives in Mohmand and Orakzai went on to join IS in Afghanistan, Mosazai claimed.

He said terrorism was a common issue for both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and reiterated the Afghan government's commitment to not allow anyone to use its territory against Pakistan.

Mosazai said Afghanistan was committed to its policy of non-interference in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.

Kabul wants good neighbouring relations with Pakistan as it is important for the economic prosperity of Afghanistan, the envoy said.

Mosazai said Kabul recognises the importance of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which he said will have a positive impact on the economy of Afghanistan as well.

Reports in the past suggested that militants fleeing military operations in different regions of Federally Administered Tribal Areas joined various terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Security officials have warned against IS gaining a foothold in Afghanistan's eastern region, where the group reportedly murdered tribal elders, clashed with the rival Taliban, imprisoned families and enforced strict rules on women.

Afghanistan does not provide a natural constituency from which IS can recruit, meaning the group relies heavily on defections from existing insurgent outfits.

Backed by US drone strikes, Afghan security forces last year mobilised and eliminated multiple IS leaders along with dozens, if not hundreds, of militants.

Opinion

Aid and debt
Updated 18 Aug 2021

Aid and debt

The fact that aid is for the giver and not the taker is proven in the methods that have been used for its disbursal.
Two steps back
18 Aug 2021

Two steps back

Remaking Afghanistan was always an imperial illusion.
Wars lost and won
Updated 17 Aug 2021

Wars lost and won

It seemed that in Iraq and in Afghanistan, the focus was on recruiting and training people but not on building institutions.

Editorial

Price of US follies
Updated 18 Aug 2021

Price of US follies

The birth of terror organisations like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are by-products of America’s ideologically fuelled policies.
18 Aug 2021

Grotesque stunt

EVEN by the standards of the megalomaniacal Narendra Modi, it was an astonishingly ill-timed publicity stunt. A few...
18 Aug 2021

Facilitating SMEs

THE new three-year State Bank refinance scheme — SME Asaan Finance — for providing collateral-free bank loans to...
Taliban’s challenge
Updated 17 Aug 2021

Taliban’s challenge

The world will be keenly looking especially at how the Taliban react towards girls’ education.
17 Aug 2021

Neglect of farm sector

PUNJAB’S Kissan Card scheme is a good initiative that will help farmers, especially smallholders, directly access...
17 Aug 2021

Organ donation

IT has been more than 10 years since the passage of the ethical transplantation law in the country, yet the cause ...