The Handler in Custody
A chilling video confession has pulled back the curtain on a highly organised terror network operating from Afghanistan, responsible for the November 11 suicide attack in Islamabad. Sajidullah, alias Sheena, now in the custody of Pakistan’s law enforcement, detailed how he recruited, trained, and directed the bomber, Usman Shinwari, a resident of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, with deadly precision.
Sheena admitted to supplying the suicide jacket and explosives and coordinating every step of the mission. The target was a high-security area in Islamabad, but timely intelligence ensured the bomber detonated in a suburban zone, sparing countless lives.
From Training Camps to Targeting Pakistan
Sheena’s confession traces a well-worn pipeline from Afghanistan to Pakistan. He joined Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan in 2015, underwent extensive training, and, since 2023, remained in contact with TTP commander Dadullah, who relayed directives from TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud. Using encrypted communications, Sheena and his Afghan-based commanders planned attacks with near-clinical precision.
Further evidence points to clandestine meetings in Shigal, Afghanistan, with Fitna al-Khawarij commander Abdullah Jan, alias Abu Hamza. It was after these meetings that Dadullah provided detailed instructions for operations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including the deployment of suicide bombers.
A Network Beyond Borders
What emerges from Sheena’s admissions is a network that is both hierarchical and highly adaptive. Materials, personnel, and guidance all flowed from Afghan soil, enabling operatives to move undetected and strike with deadly efficiency inside Pakistan.
Sheena’s testimony confirms that multiple operatives, including Kamran Khan and Muhammad Zali, were active in planning and logistics, highlighting the depth of coordination required for even a single attack. Investigators now see the network as a continuing threat, capable of rapidly mobilizing trained militants along the border.
Inside the Confession
The video, watched by investigators, reveals Sheena’s methodical approach: reconnaissance, material acquisition, coordination with Afghan commanders, and the final handover to the suicide bomber on Pakistani soil. Every step was calculated, every contact compartmentalized to prevent exposure.
Experts analyzing the confession note that such detailed insider testimony is rare and provides actionable intelligence to pre-empt future attacks. It underscores the enduring challenge of cross-border militancy, where operational command rests beyond Pakistan’s reach yet directly targets its cities.
Revenge in Paktika
A violent cycle of revenge has erupted across Paktika, one of Afghanistan’s nine eastern provinces, as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar launched a series of deadly attacks against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, hunting down key TTP commanders amid fierce clashes that razed multiple hideouts.
The Broader Threat
Sheena’s account exposes a lethal intersection of Afghan sanctuaries and TTP sleeper cells in Pakistan. Intelligence officials describe it as a blueprint for understanding the evolving threat: a sophisticated, multi-tiered network that combines training, funding, and operational planning, all coordinated from across the border.
The risk is confirmed by the latest United Nations findings: UN Warns of 20+ Afghan Terror Groups Amid Pakistan’s Cross-Border Spike. A new UN Security Council report for 2024 confirms that Afghanistan remains the biggest concentration point for regional and transnational militant organisations, with more than twenty extremist groups operating from its soil. The findings come as Pakistan continues to face a rise in cross-border terrorist attacks since the collapse of the Doha ceasefire. According to consolidated security data, Pakistan has suffered six major terror attacks between October 19 and November 24, resulting in 40 casualties.
