Afghan Taliban capture 200 anti-Pakistan militants

The Afghan Taliban claim to have arrested 200 suspected militants for carrying out cross-border attacks against Pakistan.

The news was reported as a delegation from Islamabad visited Kabul where the Afghan government hosted bilateral talks last week.

They expounded on the crackdown against the proscribed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Earlier this month, heavily armed militants attacked two Pakistani security posts in Chitral. The raid of September 6th killed four soldiers and 12 assailants for which TTP claimed responsibility.

VoA spoke with Pakistani officials who said that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has “forbidden his forces from launching cross-border attacks against Pakistan, calling them haram or un-Islamic”.

Moreover, he has also “ordered Afghans not to collaborate with or give donations to the TTP for its so-called jihad against Pakistan and barred the militants from running donation collection campaigns in Afghanistan”.

The Pakistani officials claimed that according to their assessment, the Taliban are “consciously distancing” themselves from groups they were previously with at the time of insurgency. These groups are now involved in criminal activities in Afghanistan — extortion, kidnapping for ransom, and terrorism.

The officials highlighted that Taliban leaders are now in control and responsible for the country and must show the world that they do not function like an insurgent group.