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Friday March 29, 2024

Some foreign militants recruiting for Daesh in Pakistan

By Zahid Gishkori
June 05, 2016

ISLAMABAD: While the federal government continues to deny the ‘organised presence’ of Daesh in the country, security agencies claim that a group of foreign nationals is recruiting Pakistanis for the ultra-extremist group.

Senior intelligence officials confided to The News that they had informed a top civilian security institution about the presence of Daesh workers, whose origin is from India, Syria and Canada. 

“On Syrian travel documents, a high number of suspects are travelling [to Pakistan].” A high level official communication between a military-run intelligence agency and Ministry of Interior revealed how authorities were curious enough about the “whereabouts of Daesh suspects” in Pakistan, they said.

It (communication) further revealed that five Syrian nationals, a dual national (Canadian/Syrian) and an Indian national crossed the border through illegal documents, perhaps through Afghanistan or Iran border.

“These Daesh workers established links and are now working on the same agenda. Names mentioned at Annex (A) of this letter are Daesh terrorists and they are already placed on red alert mechanism in the light of your notification,” read the official communication that happened recently between the two institutions.

Fares al-Aruri is a Syrian national believed to be staying in Pakistan. Similarly Otari al-Najadi with his wife Saba Fakhri and Shakoori Mustafa with his wife Farida Shakoori also traveled on Syrian passports to Pakistan, it further revealed. 

Similarly, Anka Asmahaan who is dual national (Syrian and Canadian) and Saeed-ul-Aslam, who is an Indian national, are believed to be in Pakistan and working for Daesh, it added. 

“The travel on Syrian travel documents through international cross-points needs scrutiny/ban,” suggested the agency in this official communication.  Officials dealing with counter-terrorism told The News that intelligence agencies are searching for whereabouts of 200 Daesh suspects who illegally crossed into Pakistan to recruit militants for Daesh. 

They were working for proscribed organizations in tribal areas, rural areas of Balochistan, south Punjab and Karachi, said a senior official, seeking anonymity.

Their names have already been put on red alerts mechanism, he added. Around 425 Pakistanis who were working for Daesh have been arrested since January this year, he revealed. 

“On recommendations of intelligence agencies we have also put names of 687 militants from 26 countries on the Exit Control List,” he said. 

“We are considering establishing a special cell on Daesh at National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA),” he revealed. "At the moment we rely on information being provided by Foreign Office [on Daesh],” he added.  The Ministry of Interior’s response on this important development is still awaited but former Nacta National Coordinator Hamid Ali, however, confirmed that they had intercepted many calls of operators of proscribed organizations, who were in constant contact with Daesh’s supreme leadership in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. 

Agencies also intercepted communication of Malik Ishaq of Sipah-e-Sahaba with Daesh leaders, Khan further revealed. 

“Daesh is recruiting militants in Pakistan. All proscribed organizations have provided fertile grounds to Daesh in south Punjab and tribal areas along with Afghanistan border. It is now a real threat to Pakistan,” Hamid observed.

The Foreign Office of Pakistan repeated its old stance on presence of Daesh. “Certain elements trying to associate themselves with Daesh [in Pakistan]—certain media reports emerged—[its] investigations are going on,” Foreign Office responded to a question in a weekly press briefing.

“There are reports of presence of some elements in Pakistan who have announced their links with ISIS,” confirmed Foreign Affairs Ministry in its official statement presented on “presence of Daesh in Pakistan” before a Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs recently.