Islamic State footprints surface in parts of Bannu

[janon]

Islamic State footprints surface in parts of Bannu - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

PESHAWAR: Footprints of the militant group known as Islamic State have now also started appearing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s town of Bannu, days after similar reports of the extremist group’s presence were received from other parts of the country.

Wall-chalking welcoming IS – which is also known by the names of Daish and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – have now appeared in various parts of Bannu city including its cantonment area.
Bannu borders North Waziristan tribal agency, known to be the Pakistani Taliban nerve-centre where the Pakistani military is carrying out Operation Zarb-i-Azb to flush them out.

“We welcome the head of Syrian Daish Group Abu Bakkar Al Bagdadi and pay him tributes,” says the graffiti in Urdu language in various parts of Bannu district.

Also read: Nisar rules out presence of IS militants in Pakistan
The message from little-known group ‘Awami Baghi Group Bannu Waziristan’ appears to endorse a reported threat alert issued earlier by the Balochistan Home Department that the group has recruited more than 10,000 fighters from Kurram tribal agency and Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.

Wall chalking was reported to be seen on City Road, Cantt Road, Dera Ismail Khan road and Miran Shah road in Bannu.

Earlier, pamphlets believed to be from IS were also distributed in various parts of Peshawar and the Afghan refugee camp but were later seized.
Ex-Guantanamo detainee made chief of Islamic State Khorasan belt
The Islamic State group first started making inroads into Pakistan and Afghanistan in September this year as former Guantanamo detainee, Abdul Raheem Muslim Dost, was made the chief of its ‘Khorasan’ (the old name for Afghan, Pakistani, Irani and Central Asian territories) chapter, and started gearing up to muster the support of former jihadists.

IS propaganda booklets were reportedly distributed in parts of the Afghan-Pakistan tribal belt and in some Afghan refugee camps in Peshawar.

The black and white pamphlet-like magazine carried a message urging support for IS saying the Caliphate declared in parts of Iraq and Syria will expand to Khorasan, comprising Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.

Sources claim the booklet was distributed by Muslim Dost himself.

The 12-page booklet titled “Fateh” (meaning ‘victory’ in Pashto and Dari languages) was reportedly distributed in Afghan refugee camps, in Board Bazaar and Kharkhano Market Peshawar, as well as some parts of Afghanistan including Herat province.

A former Guantanamo prison detainee and key Afghan Taliban commander operating mostly in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost and other militant commanders had previously announced their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS ‘Caliph’.

A senior Afghan Mujahideen commander who wished not to be named confirmed that Muslim Dost has been appointed the chief of Khorasan belt chapter of IS, and that he has kicked off a campaign to muster support of jihadist fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hizb-i-Islami, a conservative militant and political group in Afghanistan, confirmed through its spokesperson Haroon Zargon that they also had reports of the propaganda booklet distributed in the Pak-Afghan border areas and Afghan localities in Peshawar.

He denied that the Gulbadin Hikmatyar-led group has pledged allegiance to IS.
Six top militant commanders of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including its former spokesman Shahidullah Shahid, have previously announced allegiance to IS. The TTP axed Shahid as its spokesman following the allegiance statement.

KP Home Secretary Syed Akthar Ali Shah

Others TTP commanders include Orakzai agency chief Hafiz Saeed, Kurram Agency chief Daulat Khan, Khyber Agency chief Fateh Gul Zaman, Peshawar chief Mufti Hassan, and Khalid Mansoor, the chief of TTP in Hangu.

Spokesman for the TTP splinter group Jamaatul Ahrar, Ehsanullah Ehsan, has also said that they support IS but are yet to announce formal allegiance.

Responding to the reports, KP Home Secretary Syed Akthar Ali Shah said that they were probing the reports of the distribution of the booklet but he said that he doubted its authenticity and was so far unable to comment with surety on its authenticity.

 

[AMDR]

They need to shut them down quickly before they can muster a larger presence in the area. The best way to eliminate a cancer is to identify it early and hit it hard with treatment. Pakistan does not need another terrorist group knocking at their door.

 

[SQ8]

They need to shut them down quickly before they can muster a larger presence in the area. Pakistan does not need another terrorist group knocking at their door.

They will not be another terror group.. they will simply form as the flag for the remaining terror groups. IS is a threat that is best nipped in the bud with extreme rapidity.

 

[illusion8]

The Islamic State group first started making inroads into Pakistan and Afghanistan in September this year as former Guantanamo detainee, Abdul Raheem Muslim Dost, was made the chief of its ‘Khorasan’ (the old name for Afghan, Pakistani, Irani and Central Asian territories) chapter, and started gearing up to muster the support of former jihadists.

Damn!! another former Guantanamo detainee?

How do they make their way back and become commanders, caliphs and chieftains no less? where's the No fly list? where's the terrorist watch list? how do they get freed and cross international borders without red lights going up all over the place?

 

[janon]

Damn!! another former Guantanamo detainee?

How do they make their way back and become commanders, caliphs and chieftains no less? where's the No fly list? where's the terrorist watch list? how do they get freed and cross international borders without red lights going up all over the place?

Once they are released from Guantanamo, they are allowed to go back to their homeland - which is almost always Pakistan or Afgh. And once they get there, they don't need any passports or aircrafts to wander around and do their mischief in that area.

 

[janon]

They will not be another terror group.. they will simply form as the flag for the remaining terror groups. IS is a threat that is best nipped in the bud with extreme rapidity.

That's what TTP was, right? An umbrella organization for all the sundry terrorist groups that operated previously?

Anyway, the cloak of ISIS is challenging for Pak - they can get unlimited funding from their brethren in the middle east, and plenty of recruits from all over the globe. They are aiming big - Pak, India and even parts of China are supposed to be part of their new caliphate. I'm not sure how, but ISIS has done a brilliant marketing campaign, and made aspiring jihadis join their group. Heck, there are European and Indian and Australians queueing up to join.

 

[illusion8]

Once they are released from Guantanamo, they are allowed to go back to their homeland - which is almost always Pakistan or Afgh. And once they get there, they don't need any passports or aircrafts to wander around and do their mischief in that area.

No debriefing when they land back? no holding, monitoring their activities and movements? I find that pretty strange.

The strangest part is that they go on to lead and head terrorist organizations once they are back. How is that possible without them having prior history with these groups? and, if there's history then why were they let off in the first place from Guantanamo bay?

 

[haviZsultan]

Its clear that the ISIS is making inroads in Pakistan. We will only wake up when trouble starts here because of them. We knew a storm of mad Talibani murderers was coming our way but we did nothing about it. Result? We can all see. We ignored the signs of Alqaeda, Taliban and Jundullah and we are paying the price. We need to take proper action against terrorist groups, stop them from recruiting and prevent their wanton murder.

What annoys me is the difficulty we have in eliminating the cancer known as the Taliban and other groups. Why can't we eliminate a group of ragtag rebels who have only destroyed, destroyed, destroyed and don't know one thing they can create.

 

[haviZsultan]

Damn!! another former Guantanamo detainee?

How do they make their way back and become commanders, caliphs and chieftains no less? where's the No fly list? where's the terrorist watch list? how do they get freed and cross international borders without red lights going up all over the place?

Thats nothing new. The US released Abdullah Mehsud and the first thing he did was come back and kill Pakistani civilians. Pacha Khan Zadran was released from prison and he has been harassing Afghans ever since. It is a big question why the united states releases mass murderers and allows them to return to their home country. Why is our blood less expensive than the blood of an American? Why did Abdullah Mehsud when being released from prison only struck at Pakistan.

This, everything that is going on is greater than Pakistan. I believe a lot of factors play a part in this problem including foreign meddling.

 

[illusion8]

Its clear that the ISIS is making inroads in Pakistan. We will only wake up when trouble starts here because of them. We knew a storm of mad Talibani murderers was coming our way but we did nothing about it. Result? We can all see. We ignored the signs of Alqaeda, Taliban and Jundullah and we are paying the price. We need to take proper action against terrorist groups, stop them from recruiting and prevent their wanton murder.

What annoys me is the difficulty we have in eliminating the cancer known as the Taliban and other groups. Why can't we eliminate a group of ragtag rebels who have only destroyed, destroyed, destroyed and don't know one thing they can create.

IS has a strong banner and a very potent ideology and campaign going for them. They have been successful in drawing thousands of recruits and multiple groups from all around the world. Almost all groups operating in Pakistan will most likely join them - out of reverence or out of fear.

 

[illusion8]

Thats nothing new. The US released Abdullah Mehsud and the first thing he did was come back and kill Pakistani civilians. Pacha Khan Zadran was released from prison and he has been harassing Afghans ever since. It is a big question why the united states releases mass murderers and allows them to return to their home country. Why is our blood less expensive than the blood of an American? Why did Abdullah Mehsud when being released from prison only struck at Pakistan.

This, everything that is going on is greater than Pakistan. I believe a lot of factors play a part in this problem including foreign meddling.

Also, why were your own agencies not monitoring/ debriefing them when they were sent back - (I would assume that if they were picked up from Pakistan then they would have been handed over to Pakistani authorities when released).

The strangest part is that they go on to lead and head terrorist organizations once they are back. How is that possible without them having prior history with these groups? and, if there's history then why were they let off in the first place from Guantanamo bay?

Source: Islamic State footprints surface in parts of Bannu

 

[TankMan]

Damn!! another former Guantanamo detainee?

Well, Guantanamo effectively ensures that even if someone was not a terrorist when he was caught, he will definitely be one if he is ever released and one with a lot of passion and dedication too, it becomes personal for people like them.

As for ISIS in Pakistan, they will be crushed like the insects they are. I'm worried that they might be able to gain a significant amount of momentum from Afghanistan though, that is potentially dangerous.

 

[Khan_patriot]

They need to shut them down quickly before they can muster a larger presence in the area. The best way to eliminate a cancer is to identify it early and hit it hard with treatment. Pakistan does not need another terrorist group knocking at their door.

You are right, the PA is already probably targeting the militants, it needs to make sure that they deny the IS any footing in Pakistan.....

 

[Khan_patriot]

Well, Guantanamo effectively ensures that even if someone was not a terrorist when he was caught, he will definitely be one if he is ever released and one with a lot of passion and dedication too, it becomes personal for people like them.

Yes you are right, anyone who survives gitmo or any other US ''terror'' prison is probably going to end way worse than what he was when he entered....

 

[Khan_patriot]

The strangest part is that they go on to lead and head terrorist organizations once they are back. How is that possible without them having prior history with these groups? and, if there's history then why were they let off in the first place from Guantanamo bay?

This is exactly how people come up with conspiracy theories but what you are saying is suspicious to say the least....