Shahab Al-Muhajir, the newly appointed leader of Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), is a member of Haqqani network, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister said on Monday.
In a tweet, Masoud Andarabi said that Haqqani network and the Taliban carry out terrorism on a daily basis across Afghanistan and “when their terrorist activities does not suit them politically they rebrand it under ISKP.”
The comment came a day after a deadly attack claimed by ISKP targeted a prison in Afghanistan’s eastern Jalalabad city, killing at least 29 people and wounding around 50.
Haqqani network is a Taliban-allied network which is believed to be based in Pakistan. The network has became notorious for complex, well-organized attacks on both Afghan and US military, as well as civilian targets and high-profile kidnappings.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied Shahab al-Muhajir’s links to the Taliban. He said that the Taliban “has no individual and recognizes no individual under this name in its ranks.”
