Pakistan’s army says Afghan Taliban governor hosted militants plotting attacks

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan's army has accused an Afghan Taliban governor of hosting senior figures from various militant groups for talks on escalating attacks inside Pakistan. The alleged meeting took place on August 26 in Kandahar, according to the army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif. The groups reportedly present at the meeting included the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network.

Pakistani authorities claim these groups were brought together by Afghan and Indian intelligence officials. The BLA is an ethnic separatist group fighting for an independent Balochistan, while AQIS is the South Asian affiliate of the global militant network, al-Qaida. Sharif stated that the meeting was aimed at discussing the escalation of attacks within Pakistan.

A senior analyst, Abdul Basit, expressed skepticism about the intelligence report's claims, suggesting that al-Qaida, BLA, and other Pakistani militant groups are not working in a coordinated manner. The Taliban government did not immediately respond to the allegations. Meanwhile, Afghan authorities have denied any involvement in the meeting and accused the Taliban of "abetting and sponsoring terrorism."

In response to the alleged meeting, Pakistan has reportedly conducted airstrikes in two Afghan provinces, resulting in civilian casualties. The Taliban government governs Afghanistan and is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.