An Afghan national identified as Mujtaba Umar Mukhtar was eliminated in a clash with security forces in Waziristan, with sources saying his father was a former Afghan jihadist who fought against the Soviet Union during the Soviet-Afghan War.
According to security sources, Mujtaba Umar Mukhtar, son of Maulvi Sahib Abdul Fattah, also known as Sadiq, was among the terrorists eliminated during the clash with security forces in Waziristan.
Sources said Mujtaba’s father had fought against the Soviet Union during the Soviet-Afghan War, placing the family within the Afghan jihadist milieu that emerged during the conflict.
Mujtaba’s identification provides further information about the background of the Afghan national involved in terrorist activity in the region and comes amid continued security operations against terrorists operating along Pakistan’s western frontier.
The development also comes as security agencies continue to identify individuals involved in recent attempts by Afghanistan-based terrorist networks to infiltrate Pakistan.
In a separate incident, security forces had foiled an attempt by a group of terrorists to infiltrate Pakistan through the Ghulam Khan border area of North Waziristan. A total of 27 terrorists were eliminated during the operation after they were detected while attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
Among those eliminated in that infiltration attempt was Masood Shah alias Maulvi Nusrat, a key commander of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Sources said Maulvi Nusrat was a resident of Abakhel in Lakki Marwat and had served as the so-called welfare emir of the proscribed organization in Mianwali district.
Another terrorist eliminated in the Ghulam Khan infiltration attempt was identified as Syed Ahmed Haroon, a resident of Afghanistan’s Paktia province.
The identification of Syed Ahmed Haroon as an Afghan national, along with the subsequent identification of Mujtaba Umar Mukhtar in the separate Waziristan clash, adds to the growing record of Afghan nationals being found among terrorists involved in violence and attempted infiltration along Pakistan’s western border.
The separate identifications also highlight the varied backgrounds of individuals involved in terrorist networks operating in and around the border region, ranging from Afghan nationals with family links to the jihadist networks of the Soviet-Afghan War to senior commanders of terrorist organizations operating against Pakistan.
The Ghulam Khan operation had prevented the 27-member group from entering Pakistan and disrupting security in the border region. The identification of Maulvi Nusrat subsequently established that the group included a senior TTP commander, while the identification of Syed Ahmed Haroon established an Afghan connection among those eliminated during the attempted infiltration.
The latest identification of Mujtaba Umar Mukhtar further adds to the picture of cross-border terrorist activity, although his elimination occurred in a separate clash with security forces in Waziristan.
Security forces continue to conduct operations and maintain heightened vigilance in the border districts to prevent terrorist infiltration, disrupt terrorist networks and eliminate those attempting to establish a presence inside Pakistan.
