Pakistan Arrests Senior IS-KP Commander Sultan Aziz Azzam
Pakistan has arrested senior Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) member Sultan Aziz Azzam, state media reported, citing intelligence sources.
According to Pakistan Television Digital, Azzam was recently apprehended while attempting to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan.
Azzam played a key role in IS-KP’s media operations and had previously served as the head of the Al-Azzam group.
Sources added that Azzam was designated a specially designated global terrorist by the United States in November 2021.
According to information published on the United Nations Security Council’s website, on Aug. 26, 2021, Azzam claimed responsibility on behalf of IS-KP for the suicide bombing near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US military personnel, and wounded another 150 people.
In his statement, he provided details of the attack, including that the operation was overseen by ISIL-K emir Sanaullah Ghafari.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
Separately, on March 2, 2021, IS-KP claimed responsibility for the killing of three women journalists.
According to the Security Council, Azzam’s propaganda activities helped IS-KP recruit and motivate its members to carry out large-scale attacks in Afghanistan.
Prior to Pakistan’s announcement of Azzam’s detention, a recent United Nations Security Council report stated that Pakistani authorities had carried out several high-profile arrests, including that of Sultan Aziz Azzam.
According to the report, “overall, counterterrorism operations by the authorities in Pakistan have reduced IS-K’s capabilities.”
A few months earlier, Turkish security sources confirmed that a key Islamic State operative was arrested near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border during a joint intelligence operation involving Pakistani and Turkish agencies—a claim later confirmed by Pakistani security sources.
IS-KP remains one of the most dangerous armed groups in Afghanistan.
Established in 2015, IS-KP quickly exploited the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of international forces and the Taliban’s resurgence, carrying out high-profile attacks targeting civilians, government officials, minority communities and foreign personnel.
Its operations are not limited to Afghanistan; the group has signaled intentions to destabilize the broader region, particularly Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.
High-profile attacks, including suicide bombings in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan, demonstrate the group’s operational capability and capacity for mass-casualty violence.
Meanwhile, recent UN and US reports have confirmed that Hamza bin Laden, a son of Osama bin Laden, is alive and actively working to regroup al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
The continued presence of IS-KP, al-Qaida and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil highlights growing concerns that Afghanistan is once again emerging as a regional terrorism hub, posing serious threats to neighboring countries and international security.
Despite these warnings, global powers, including US policymakers, appear to be sidelining this critical issue.
