Pakistan has blocked efforts by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP)—the regional arm of the so-called Islamic State, also known as Daesh—to widen its presence inside the country from bases in Afghanistan, security accounts say. Over the past three to four years, aggressive intelligence-based operations have undercut that push: 67 major raids left more than 50 terrorists dead and over 100 in custody.
One high-value target was neutralized and three others were arrested, according to the same account of the campaign.
Afghan hubs and a shifting threat
Reports identify Kunar, Nangarhar and Helmand provinces in Afghanistan as operational hubs for ISKP. After Daesh lost its strongholds in Syria, the group moved experienced fighters into Afghanistan, strengthening its ranks and extending its reach.
A further source of recruits, the account says, has been Taliban regime militants who could not secure paid positions after the fall of Kabul in 2021 and have since drifted toward ISKP.
Six attacks inside Pakistan
Despite those counter-operations, ISKP still mounted six attacks on Pakistani soil. Those strikes caused 42 deaths—described as martyrdoms—and 85 injuries.
Among the incidents highlighted were a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Tarlai, Islamabad, and a targeted attack on a Sessions Judge (a senior trial-court judge) in Mastung, Balochistan. The toll underlines why the group’s attempt to entrench itself across the border has been treated as a national security priority.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 13 April 2017: The United States dropped a MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast, a very large bomb) on an ISKP cave and tunnel complex in Mamand Valley, Achin District, Nangarhar—one of the group’s known strongholds.
- 2021: After the fall of Kabul, Taliban regime militants unable to gain payroll posts began moving toward ISKP, reports say.
- Past three to four years: ISKP tried to expand its operational footprint into Pakistan from Afghanistan; Pakistan answered with sustained intelligence-based operations.
- Across that period: ISKP carried out six attacks in Pakistan, killing 42 people and injuring 85, including the Tarlai mosque bombing and the Mastung attack on a Sessions Judge.
- 26 October 2026: Officials’ account of the campaign states that 67 major operations killed more than 50 terrorists, arrested over 100, neutralized one high-value target and detained three others.
What the operations claim to have achieved
Taken together, the figures frame a grinding contest rather than a single battle: dozens of major raids, a high kill-and-arrest tally, and continued vigilance against a group that still managed six lethal attacks inside Pakistan. Security planners treat the Afghan border provinces named above as the launchpad for that pressure—and the reason Islamabad has kept the response intelligence-led and persistent.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan ne ISKP ke khilaf 67 bari operations kiye. Pachas se zyada militants mare gaye aur sau se zyada pakre gaye. Is group ne Pakistan mein chhe hamle kiye, jin mein 42 log shaheed hue aur 85 zakhmi hue. Security wale kehte hain ke Afghanistan se is group ko Pakistan mein failne nahi diya gaya.
