Militants involved in attack on Pakistan Embassy in Kabul killed: Zabihullah Mujahid

KABUL, Jan 05 (SABAH): Afghan Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday that Daesh militants involved in the attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul has been killed in an operation.

On December 2, the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul came under attack with Chargé d’Affaires (CdA) to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani targeted. Nizamani was unscathed but his guard was critically wounded. The banned Islamic State group’s Khorasan chapter (IS-K) had claimed responsibility for the attack, confirming that it was targeting the Pakistani envoy.

Subsequently, the Foreign Office had said that they remained in active contact with the Afghan authorities and expressed the confidence that the December 2 incident would be fully investigated and the perpetrators and their abettors would be brought to account.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan security forces carried out operations in Kabul against a dangerous network of the Islamic State group or Daesh who were involved in attacks on the Pakistani embassy and on a hotel where Chinese nationals were staying.

On December 12, Beijing had said that five of its nationals were wounded in a bombing-and-shooting attack. China had later asked its nationals to leave Afghanistan over security concerns.

The Afghan government spokesperson confirmed that the militants killed in the operation were also involved in a bomb attack near a military airfield in Kabul and several other areas.

He said that a similar operation was also conducted against Daesh in the Western Nimroz province. Eight Daesh members were killed in the operations, he stated, adding that several foreigners were among those killed. Mujahid went on to say that the killed terrorists had planned more attacks on key targets. “They planned to bring Daesh members from other countries and launch coordinated attacks.”

The spokesperson said the operation in Kabul was carried out in the Shuda-e-Saliheen and Qalacha areas as well as Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz. Three hideouts were eliminated during the operation.

Small arms, hand grenades, mines, suicide jackets and explosives were recovered from the hideout and seven Daesh members were arrested. Some other suspects were also taken into custody for questioning. 

The operation in Kabul once again raised concerns about the activities of Daesh in the capital city and other parts of the country. Taliban rulers usually downplay the threat of Daesh in Afghanistan despite international reports about the growing activities of the group.