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Pakistani militant chief killed in Nangarhar
Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) militant group head Mangal Bagh was killed in an IED blast in eastern Nangarhar province.
Nangarhar Governor Ziaul Haq Amarkhel said in a tweet that Bagh was killed in a bomb blast along with his two comrades in the Achin district of the province.
The blast took place in the Bandari locality of Achin on Thursday morning.
“Mangal Bagh, the leader of Lashkar-e-Islam terrorist group, was killed along with two of his comrades in a roadside bomb blast in the Bandar Dara area of Achin district of Nangarhar this morning (Thursday),” Amarkhil tweeted.
Amarkhil stated that Mangal Bagh was involved in a number of “terrorist activities.”
د #لشکر اسلام ترهګریزې ډلې مشر منګل باغ نن له غرمې مخکې د #ننګرهار د اچين ولسوالۍ باندر درې څېړۍ کڅونه سيمه کې د خپلو دوو ملګرو سره د دوی له لوري د ځای پر ځای شوي ماين په چاودنه کې ووژل شو، منګل باغ په ياده سيمه کې په ګڼ شمېر ترهګريزو فعاليتونو کې لاس درلود. pic.twitter.com/OvHxXIiGql
— Ziaulhaq Amarkhil (@ZiaulhaqAmarkhi) January 28, 2021
Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) is a militant group founded in the Khyber District of Pakistan. The US stated that the group was affiliated with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“His group earns revenue from drug trafficking, smuggling, kidnapping, raids on NATO convoys, and taxes on transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the US State Department Reward for Justice said in a statement.
The Department had offered up to $3 million rewards for any information that could lead to the arrest of Bagh.
According to the State Department, Bagh has led Lashkar-e-Islam since 2006 and has routinely shifted alliances to protect illicit revenue streams while enforcing an extreme version of Deobandi Islam in the areas of eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan that he controls, particularly Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
“Born in Khyber Agency, Pakistan, he is believed to be in his mid-forties. Bagh is a member of the Afridi tribe. He studied at a madrasa for several years and later fought alongside militant groups in Afghanistan,” the statement read.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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