Kabul – The leader of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Afghanistan has been arrested. The man, known as Aslam Faruki, has been captured by Afghan special forces with 19 other fighters, the National Security Directorate said.
Among them are two senior commanders of the terrorist group. The Afghan secret service plans to announce further details in the next few days.
The terrorist militia emerges in Afghanistan at the beginning of 2015 and since then has wanted to establish a “province” called IS-Khorasan there and on Pakistani territory. According to a United Nations security report, Faruki, who also appeared under the name Maulawi Abdullah, had been leading the IS terrorist group in Afghanistan for about a year. The United States and the Afghan government have fought the extremists intensively right from the start. They also regularly fight the militant Islamist Taliban.
Since its appearance, ISIS has carried out numerous attacks, particularly on Shiite mosques, city districts, and assemblies. The number of IS attacks rose sharply, especially in 2018, but has fallen since 2019. The UN documents most of the IS attacks in the provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, and Kabul.
Over 30 people were killed in an attack on a commemorative ceremony for a political Shiite leader in March, and 25 civilians were killed in an attack in a Sikh temple last week. The terrorist group claimed both attacks.
