Michael Hughes: General Mirza Aslam Beg as a chief instructor at the National Defense College during the early 1980s allegedly first articulated Pakistan’s version of the military doctrine known as “strategic depth,” which posits Islamabad’s hegemony in Afghanistan as critical in case of war with India. Many in Rawalpindi felt the Taliban seizing Kabul (again) was crucial
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 2, 2022 ISLAMABAD — The United States has designated several commanders of militant groups, including a top anti-Pakistan militant leader, operating in Afghanistan as global terrorists. The U.S. State Department announced the designations Thursday amid regional concerns terrorists have had more operational freedom on Afghan soil after the return of the
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 1, 2022 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan warned Thursday that cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan “is both alarming and dangerous” for regional peace, calling on the neighboring country’s ruling Taliban to honor their anti-terror pledges. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah issued the warning amid a new wave of deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan that
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal November 29, 2022 Pakistan’s new military chief, General Asim Munir, took command of the country’s armed forces on November 29 from General Javed Bajwa at a ceremony held in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. One of the key challenges faced by Munir, who is a former head of the military’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal November 28, 2022 The banned Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has called off a cease-fire agreed with the government and ordered its fighters to launch attacks across the country. The announcement from the TTP on November 28 came hours after the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said it would send a high-level delegation to Kabul. The TTP
8am: The TTP member was found dead on Thursday (November 17th) in a water canal in the Bati Kot district of eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The TTP commander has been identified as Saifullah Babuji, a resident of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Babuji was reportedly a close affiliate of a TTP deputy, Amir Mufti Mazlom. The
Minute Mirror (PK): Two senior commanders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan TTP Bismillah Alias Asadullah Pehelwan and Mudasir Iqbal have been assassinated in two separate incidents in Afghanistan on Thursday. Both Asadullah Pehelwan and Iqbal moved from Pakistan to Kandahar to avoid assassination. Click here to read more (external link).
By Daud Khattak Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 14, 2022 Ten years ago this month, Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, then 15, was shot in the head on her school bus by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group. The attack on Yousafzai, who had become a target for her campaign for girls’ education, sent shock waves
Sarah Zaman VOA News October 7, 2022 WASHINGTON — A recently concluded six-day visit to Washington by Pakistan’s powerful military head, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, is being seen in both countries as a sign that Islamabad is seeking to mend sometimes-strained relations with the West. Public statements released by officials from both
By Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 30, 2022 Pakistan has been the Afghan Taliban’s key foreign sponsor for decades, with Islamabad harboring the militant group’s leadership during the nearly 20-year U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan. But since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, its ties with Islamabad have deteriorated amid deadly border clashes.