According to an article published on the Al-Mersad website, attributed to an author using the pseudonym “Abu Muhammad,” on September 15, it is claimed that “ISIS intended to kill religious scholars in the region (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran).”
The intelligence agency of the Taliban alleged that it has complete information on this matter and has provided the identities of the attackers to Pakistani and Iranian authorities.
The article advises “Pakistani scholars” not to trust their government and to ensure their own security.
It is claimed in the article that the Taliban group has killed an ISIS member who was the mastermind behind terrorist attacks on scholars in Afghanistan.
The author further stated that, due to the negligence of the Pakistani side, the killing of scholars has continued in Pakistan. It is mentioned that “Sheikh Zia-ul-Haq,” a Salafi scholar in Karachi, was killed two days ago, and the senior leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, “Hafiz Hamdullah,” was assassinated yesterday, and this series continues.
The author alleged that the ISIS presence in Afghanistan has come to an end and that the Taliban wishes to cooperate with regional countries to counter this threat. However, the Pakistani authorities did not take them seriously.
This is in contrast to reports from international organisations suggesting that ISIS maintains a significant presence in Afghanistan, with over 20 other terrorist groups also active in the country.