Afghanistan reports the arrest of 408 foreign terrorists from the Islamic State – the majority from Pakistan, 299; Uzbekistan 37; China 16; Tajikistan 13; Kyrgyzstan 12; Russia 5; Jordan 5; Iran 4; Turkey 3; Algeria 1; Indonesia 5; Bangladesh 2; India 4; & Maldives 2.
Afghanistan is in talks with the above-mentioned countries about the fate of the captured IS operatives, some may be handed over to their respective countries. IS-K chief Aslam Farooqi (a Pakistani) also has been in custody – Islamabad has repeatedly asked for his handover.
Afghanistan @NDSAfghanistan Cheif said there are no plans to hand over Farooqi unless in exchange Kabul gets the custody of some Afghan Taliban leaders in Pakistani prisons. The number doesn’t include apprehended Afghan IS, al Qaeda & other terrorist groups’ operatives.
Transnational terrorism remains a major issue and will require long-term national/international counter-terrorism efforts, even if there is a political deal with the Taliban. It’s unclear how serious tbs are on CT with their long-standing affinity with groups like al Qaeda.
