ISLAMABAD: An online video was released on Saturday apparently showing former militants of the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The video shows former TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid along with dozens of other militants in a wooded area.

Shahid already announced his support for the Islamic State group in an audio message in October.

Read also: Six top TTP commanders announce allegiance to Islamic State's Baghdadi

He was later replaced by the TTP. Other militant leaders who identify themselves as from Afghanistan and Pakistan also pledge their support to the Islamic State group.

The SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based terrorism monitor, said the video was released by the Islamic State group on Twitter and jihadi forums.

The video is sure to raise concerns about whether the Islamic State group has found support in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a region already awash with dozens of militant groups.

At the end of the video, the militants killed a man they claim to be a Pakistani soldier.

Taliban militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan owe their allegiance to Mullah Omar, a cleric who has led the Taliban since the 1990s and hasn't been publicly heard from for years.

The area where the video was shot was not identified but Taliban militants are known to operate in the rugged mountainous regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The militants frequently target Pakistani troops who have been carrying out missions in the country's northwest.

There was no immediate comment from the military or government. The Islamic State group controls about a third of both Syria and Iraq.

Editorial

Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...
31 Jul, 2026

Expanding conflict

WITH neither of the belligerents willing to back down, and the theatre of conflict expanding geographically, the...
31 Jul, 2026

Spoils and spats

A FIGHT over assembly seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has laid bare what seem to be some deep resentments between ...
31 Jul, 2026

Unfair tax system

THE disclosure that the FBR collected nearly Rs1.9tr in sales and income taxes through electricity bills over the...