The recent arrest of ISIS-K member Mohammad Goran in a joint operation by Pakistani and Turkish intelligence should raise serious concerns for Pakistan and its neighbours on multiple fronts. Turkish media reported that Goran had pledged to carry out attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Europe prior to his arrest.

First, the arrest aligns with the Taliban's narrative, insisting on the allegations of the existence of terrorist camps in border regions. Goran's arrest was swiftly followed by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claiming that it resulted from intelligence shared by Afghanistan. He reiterated that the Islamic Emirate had formally objected to the presence of ISIS sanctuaries and called for their immediate dismantling, describing ISIS as a "sinister phenomenon" that must not be exploited against any country.

Second, Goran's arrest must be viewed in the context of clashes that erupted in mid-March between the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) in the Chiltan mountain range between Quetta and Mastung district in Balochistan. Fighting reportedly began around March 18-19, when hundreds of BLA militants, supported by fighters from the outlawed Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), attacked a training camp in the hills near Mastung.

The camp reportedly housed around three dozen militants affiliated with local and foreign jihadist groups,........

© The Express Tribune