After TTP amd Daesh Now Lashkar e Jhangvi al Alami Gets a Home In Afghanistan

[Areesh]

Looks like all terror factions kicked out of Pakistan are getting a home in Afghanistan

Afghan officials say a dangerous Pakistani network with links to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) militants has established a sanctuary in southern Afghanistan.

Officials in Zabul Province, which borders Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan Province, say members of Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami are among the fighters hiding in the remote mountainous districts of Dey Chopan, Arghandab, and Khak-e Afghan in the vast, arid region.

"[Fighters] of Lashkar-e Jhangvi and other groups linked to terrorists, particularly to IS and international terrorists, are present here,” provincial Governor Bismillah Afghanmal told Radio Free Afghanistan. “But they have no permanent location or single stronghold.”

Ghulam Jilani Farahi, a senior police officer in Zabul, said the number of foreign fighters and their families runs into the hundreds.

"Based on intelligence reports and what the locals say, more than 300 families are in Khak-e Afghan district, [and there are more fighters and families] in one or two points of Arghandab district and some areas of Dey Chopan.”

Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami seems keen on making its presence known in Zabul.

In December, Ali Bin Sufyan, a purported spokesman for the group, told the Associated Press that their leader, Yousuf Mansoor Khurasani, survived an insider attack while traveling in Zabul Province.

The claims mark a new milestone in the evolution of Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami. It was once seen as an offshoot of Lashkar-e Jhangvi, which emerged as a major domestic terror group in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab Province in the 1990s. Following a government crackdown, Lashkar-e Jhangvi -- which mostly targeted Pakistan’s large Shi’ite minority -- splintered into various small factions over the past decade.

According to the U.S. National Counter Terrorism Center, the group collaborated with Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. Washington declared Lashkar-e Jhangvi a terrorist organization in 2003.

In recent years, Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on Pakistan’s Shi’ite communities. Most of its attacks were concentrated in Balochistan.

Spokesman Sufyan told Reuters in November that they cooperated with IS in attacks that killed more than 100 police cadets and devotees at a Sufi shrine last year.

“We will provide help to anyone who asks [for it] against the Pakistani security forces, and we will also accept help for this [purpose]," he said.

Hekmatullah Azamy, a researcher at the Kabul-based Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies, says the Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami alliance with IS is based on their mutual hatred of Shi’a.

“Their attacks are not limited to Pakistan and have recently been extended into Afghanistan,” he said, adding that the group participated in an October attack on Shi’ite pilgrims at Kabul’s Karte Sakhi shrine.

“Police officials investigating the attack told me that two of the suicide bombers involved in the carnage were from Lashkar-e Jhangvi,” he said.

IS’s Pakistan and Afghanistan affiliate -- known as Khorasan Province -- had claimed responsibility for the October 11 attack. It said one of its suicide bombers had carried out the attack, which Afghan officials said killed 18 people and wounded 60 more.

Azamy said the presence of Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami not only poses a major battlefield threat for overstretched Afghan forces, it also complicates Kabul’s bid to negotiate peace with the Taliban.

“The Taliban view them as a major headache because foreign terrorists are a hurdle to peace. These foreign fighters will never conclude peace with the Afghan government,” he said. “They will provide an alternative to the Taliban militants who are now fighting for money or ideology even if their organization concludes peace with Kabul.”

The Taliban seem to have realized that foreign fighters are a major threat to their designs. In 2015, the Taliban killed one of its former commanders, Mansur Dadullah, and hundreds of the Central Asian fighters he was sheltering.

After fighting for Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban for more than a decade, they had joined IS after fleeing a Pakistani military offensive against their North Waziristan hideout in June 2014.

Zabul police official Farahi said they plan to stop these fighters.

"They might create more problems in the coming spring. These fighters are organized in Zabul, and from there they might be deployed to [nearby] Uruzgan, Ghazni, Paktia, and Paktika provinces,” he said. “We're working on launching massive operations this winter in order to clean up the areas from the presence of the insurgents and foreign nationals.”

In Kabul, Afghan Defense Ministry deputy spokesman General Mohammad Radmanesh told Radio Free Afghanistan they are aiming to completely reclaim Zabul from the insurgents.

“We are trying our best so that no district in Afghanistan will be threatened by any group,” he said.

Lashkar-e Jhangvi Al Alami, however, appears to be on the offensive.

It claimed to have coordinated a January 21 attack on the Shi’ite community in northwestern Pakistan. Sufyan told Reuters they had coordinated the attack with a faction of the Pakistani Taliban. At least 21 people died in an explosion at a busy vegetable market in Parachinar, a small city that is the capital of Kurram tribal district on Afghanistan’s border.

General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently said that out of the 98 globally designated terrorist groups, 20 are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“This represents the highest concentration of terrorist groups anywhere in the world,” he said in a December briefing.

http://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-zabul-lashkar-e-jhangvi/28251900.html

 

[IceCold]

When leaders are corrupt and army wears bangals this is bound to happen. Pakistan spending about 70-80% on defense and being a nuclear power, still a country or should i say a shit hole like Afghanistan cannot be brought to its place. Shame on the government and institutions of Pakistan that are responsible for protecting the state of Pakistan and its people against all threats whether internal or external.

 

[PakAlp]

I disagree with people on this forum bashing Afghanistan and Afghanis. This is not the right way, the northern alliance government is pro india but Afghan people are our brothers. We need to work on this rather than spread hate like the Afghan government does.

Pakistan is doing the right thing by staying quiet, let them spread hate, let them sponsor terror. Pakistan just needs to secure own borders and regarding the terrorist groups, they are threat to Pakistan China Iran and Russia. Slowly these nations will unite and then a joint response will be done to defeat the terrorist and their sponsors.

 

[Naheed Janjua]

strategic affairs means countries align with those that support its needs. Pakistan has to focus on its own needs - fencing the durand line is an important element of this. We need to get rid of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan side. Similarly stop those that exist (?) on Pakistan side from going over to Afghanistan.

 

[Pakistani E]

I disagree with people on this forum bashing Afghanistan and Afghanis. This is not the right way, the northern alliance government is pro india but Afghan people are our brothers. We need to work on this rather than spread hate like the Afghan government does.

Pakistan is doing the right thing by staying quiet, let them spread hate, let them sponsor terror. Pakistan just needs to secure own borders and regarding the terrorist groups, they are threat to Pakistan China Iran and Russia. Slowly these nations will unite and then a joint response will be done to defeat the terrorist and their sponsors.

Anyone who does rejects the geographical boundaries of my nation is not a brother to me.

 

[Zarvan]

When leaders are corrupt and army wears bangals this is bound to happen. Pakistan spending about 70-80% on defense and being a nuclear power, still a country or should i say a shit hole like Afghanistan cannot be brought to its place. Shame on the government and institutions of Pakistan that are responsible for protecting the state of Pakistan and its people against all threats whether internal or external.

We spend less than 13 % on defence secondly our total budget is 8.5 Billion Dollars and many countries give there single intelligence agency this more than 8 billion dollars so please correct your figures

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Looks like we need to inavde Afghanistan and take over (Cleanse the terrorist)

 

[IceCold]

We spend less than 13 % on defence secondly our total budget is 8.5 Billion Dollars and many countries give there single intelligence agency this more than 8 billion dollars so please correct your figures

OK I correct my figures it still does not change the fact that a third class country like Afghanistan is taking a country like us for granted due to our pathetic policies. Also let's not forget that what you are quoting above is the budget that is declared. What about the hidden budget? If 8.5 Billion is our total defence budget than how are we purchasing those subs from China that alone is costing 8 billion?
My point is defence takes a large chunk out of the budget why so that when need arises we put it to use. Army like other institutions are enjoying the power struggle while regular people are dying because they too have become power hungry. We have to stop treating army as a holy cow and start calling spade a spade. I have no hopes from the civilian government of NS but since army too is a stake holder in a country like Pakistan so naturally they too share the blame for not doing anything.

 

[Zarvan]

OK I correct my figures it still does not change the fact that a third class country like Afghanistan is taking a country like us for granted due to our pathetic policies. Also let's not forget that what you are quoting above is the budget that is declared. What about the hidden budget? If 8.5 Billion is our total defence budget than how are we purchasing those subs from China that alone is costing 8 billion?
My point is defence takes a large chunk out of the budget why so that when need arises we put it to use. Army like other institutions are enjoying the power struggle while regular people are dying because they too have become power hungry. We have to stop treating army as a holy cow and start calling spade a spade. I have no hopes from the civilian government of NS but since army too is a stake holder in a country like Pakistan so naturally they too share the blame for not doing anything.

NATO and USA are sitting in Afghanistan. Also even if they were not their you already have seriously bad economy and doing operation inside Afghanistan can lead to further sanctions. We are taking help from Arabs and other friends that is how we are buying them and also delay payment tactics with China. No we don't spent large chunks what we spent is a joke specially when we look at size of our Armed Forces.

 

[airmarshal]

Pakistan need to change its apologetic approach towards both India and Afghanistan. India in Afghanistan is using Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan. This is a fact which Pakistan has failed to publicly state. This must change.

Whenever there is attack in Afghanistan, its blamed on Pakistan. Afghanistan has exact same approach as India has. The most recent attack in Pakistan seems to be the 'revenge' attack. First they blame us then attack us. This is a typical ploy.

At the same time Pakistan too must realize where it fell short that after helping Afghanistan so much, we are still losing PR war. No country has more stake in Afghan peace than Pakistan.

 

[haviZsultan]

Anyone who does rejects the geographical boundaries of my nation is not a brother to me.

They don't accept the durand line. It is the heart of the issue, the core of the problem.

 

[IceCold]

NATO and USA are sitting in Afghanistan. Also even if they were not their you already have seriously bad economy and doing operation inside Afghanistan can lead to further sanctions. We are taking help from Arabs and other friends that is how we are buying them and also delay payment tactics with China. No we don't spent large chunks what we spent is a joke specially when we look at size of our Armed Forces.

How long are we going to remain hostage to the fear of sanctions? And just because there is US and NATO who by the way are doing nothing to address our concerns but spare no moment to bash Pakistan and tell us how it's our responsibility for developing good ties with every country. A stern message no matter the cost needs to be sent that Pakistan cannot be taken for granted and we will hit anywhere our enemies hide which is why I also believe that Pakistan needs an ICBM. At least we agree on that part.
By the way US has already started to put sanctions on Pakistan and they will put more irrespective of whether we act or not.
Plus about the funding part I know Arabs helped in the past but no current deal is being funded by them. The case would had been different if we had joined Yemen. Correct me if you know something I don't.

 

[Zarvan]

How long are we going to remain hostage to the fear of sanctions? And just because there is US and NATO who by the way are doing nothing to address our concerns but spare no moment to bash Pakistan and tell us how it's our responsibility for developing good ties with every country. A stern message no matter the cost needs to be sent that Pakistan cannot be taken for granted and we will hit anywhere our enemies hide which is why I also believe that Pakistan needs an ICBM. At least we agree on that part.

Until our economy massively improves. The day it does and we are sure that some sanctions from USA won't hurt us that much we would be a different country from that day

 

[Pakistani E]

They don't accept the durand line. It is the heart of the issue, the core of the problem.

It's funny how the Afghans now run to claim Pakistani Pushtuns as their brothers while back then they were content to let the British take the area as long as the British didn't encroach further. So much for brotherhood.

 

[RangeMaster]

A new shithole has been created in our west.
There is no other country in this world having idiots on both side of its borders.
And thanks God...,we are still surviving.