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Pakistan has captured a person from an offshoot of the Islamic State jihadist group, a elder quality authoritative said connected Friday (December 19, 2025), aft the apprehension was reported by a UN sanctions monitoring group.
Sultan Aziz Azam, who besides acted arsenic a spokesperson for the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), was arrested connected May 16, according to a UN committee's sanctions monitoring study submitted to the Security Council successful November.
"He was not conscionable a spokesperson but regarded arsenic 1 of the apical leaders for the radical successful the region," the Pakistani quality authoritative told AFP connected information of anonymity arsenic helium was not authorised to talk to media.
"The apprehension was not made nationalist arsenic it could person affected counterterrorism operations" initiated aft Azam's questioning, the authoritative added.
IS-K, the section subdivision of the Islamic State group, has claimed work for immoderate of the astir horrific attacks successful Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond successful caller years, galore targeting civilians.
In March 2024 its gunmen killed much than 140 radical astatine a Moscow performance hall, and the radical has carried retired a bid of deadly attacks successful some Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Taliban returned to powerfulness successful 2021.
The quality authoritative and the UN study did not specify which state Azam was captured in.
Taliban authorities person repeatedly said information is their apical precedence and vowed to ace down connected IS-K and different militant groups operating successful Afghanistan.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban of allowing Afghan ungraded to beryllium utilized to harbour militants and the narration betwixt the 2 countries has deteriorated sharply with deadly borderline clashes successful caller months.
Islamabad has carried retired intensive borderline operations against militant groups, including airstrikes successful October connected Afghan territory that information sources accidental were aimed astatine targeting different group, the Pakistani Taliban.
The UN study said some countries' efforts were making a dent against IS-K.
"Overall, the capableness of ISIL-K has been degraded arsenic a effect of counter-terrorism operations by the de facto authorities and Pakistan," said the UN report, referring to the Taliban's authorities which is not formally recognised by immoderate state but Russia.
However, "the radical remains resilient" and Afghan authorities person not wholly eliminated its hideouts successful the northbound and east, the study said, estimating that is has astir 2,000 fighters.
Its leaders person besides stepped up a recruitment thrust "to found a web of sleeper cells to further heighten their capabilities, arsenic good arsenic their quality to behaviour attacks extracurricular Afghan territory."
According to the Jamestown Foundation, a US-based think-tank, Azam hails from Afghanistan's eastbound Nangarhar state which borders Pakistan and is considered an IS-K stronghold.
He is described arsenic a writer and writer whose enactment often appeared connected societal media platforms specified arsenic Facebook earlier joining IS-K successful 2015.
