Pakistan says it has killed 145 ‘Indian-backed terrorists’ in Balochistan after deadly attacks

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

By ABDUL SATTAR and MUNIR AHMED

Associated Press

February 1, 2026

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police and military forces killed over a 100 “Indian-backed terrorists ” in counterterrorism operations across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan over the past 40 hours, government officials said on Sunday, a day after coordinated suicide and gun attacks killed 33 people, mostly civilians.

The raids began early Saturday at multiple locations across Balochistan, and left 18 civilians, including five women and three children, and 15 security personnel dead, authorities said.

Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial chief minister, told reporters in Quetta that troops and police officers responded swiftly, killing 145 members of “ Fitna al-Hindustan,” a phrase the government uses for the allegedly Indian-backed outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA. The number of militants killed over the past two days was the highest in decades, he said.

“The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,” he said. Bugti claimed that the ”Indian-backed terrorists” wanted to take hostages but failed to make it to the city center.

He spoke alongside senior government official Hamza Shafqat, who often oversees such operations against insurgents in the province, and praised the military, police and paramilitary forces for repelling the assaults.

Militant attacks erupted on Saturday in a resource-rich region where Pakistan is seeking to attract foreign investment in mining and minerals. In September 2025, a U.S. metals company signed a $500 million investment agreement with Pakistan, a month after the U.S. State Department designated BLA and its armed wing as a foreign terrorist organization.

Residents described scenes of panic after a suicide bombing killed several police officers on Saturday.

“(It) was a very scary day in the history of Quetta,” said Khan Muhammad, a local resident. “Armed men were roaming openly on the roads before security forces arrived.”

Bugti repeatedly accused India and Afghanistan of backing the assailants and said senior leaders of the BLA, which claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in Balochistan, were operating from Afghan territory. Both Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.

He said on Sunday Afghanistan’s Taliban had pledged under the 2020 Doha agreement not to allow Afghan soil to be used as a base for attacking other countries, but “unfortunately, the Afghan soil was still being used against Pakistan.”

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have persisted since early October when Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as Pakistani Taliban hideouts inside Afghanistan, killing dozens of alleged insurgents.

Bugti said militants stormed the home of a Baloch laborer in Gwadar and killed five women and three children. He condemned the killings. He said the attackers had planned to seize hostages after storming government offices in Quetta’s high-security zone but were thwarted. “We were aware of their plans, and our forces were prepared,” he said.

The BLA is banned in Pakistan and has carried out numerous attacks in recent years, often targeting security forces, Chinese interests and infrastructure projects.

Authorities say the group has operated with support from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP, a separate group, is allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.

Balochistan has long faced a separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy or independence from Pakistan’s central government. The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has also attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals among the thousands working on various projects in the province.__

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

Mujahid: ‘Inclusive Government’ Failed to Bring Stability to Afghanistan

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

Bibi Amina Hakimi

TOLOnews’ Reporter

1 Feb 2026

According to him, the new code is more comprehensive and practical than before, enabling judicial processes to be carried out with greater clarity.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, told TOLOnews that over the past four decades the people of Afghanistan have experienced various governments and political systems; however, according to him, what was presented as an “inclusive government” failed to bring stability, calm, and lasting peace to the country.

He emphasized that political differences and successive wars have been the main causes of the suffering and misery of the Afghan people, adding that citizens can achieve real peace only under a single system with strong commitment and a sense of responsibility.

Zabihullah Mujahid said: “We experienced different governments; those issues that were previously referred to as an inclusive government did not bring stability to Afghanistan. We continuously witnessed wars and hardships. Afghanistan needs to live for some time together, free from political differences.”

Referring to the endorsement of the new penal code in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson said the code was drafted to clarify the working procedures of judges and to facilitate the handling of cases.

According to him, the new code is more comprehensive and practical than before, enabling judicial processes to be carried out with greater clarity.

Mujahid added that much of the criticism in this regard comes from individuals who lack a proper understanding of Islamic Sharia or are influenced by external viewpoints.

He said: “A penal code existed before as well, but it was general. The new code has been drafted in a clearer, more detailed, and simpler manner so that judges can resolve details more quickly and accurately.”

In another part of the interview, the spokesperson addressed Afghanistan–Pakistan relations, stressing that Kabul does not seek war or instability in any country, especially Pakistan. According to him, peace and stability in Pakistan are in Afghanistan’s interest, and the Islamic Emirate’s policy is based on non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Political analyst Samiullah Ahmadzai said: “The Islamic Emirate has always assured that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, and Pakistan’s issues are considered an internal matter of that country.”

Similarly, Amir Mohammad Gran, a former Afghan diplomat to Pakistan, added: “Afghanistan has never supported war in neighboring countries, because war only leads to destruction, human casualties, and instability.”

In conclusion, Zabihullah Mujahid referred to the role of the United Nations, saying the organization should not take on the responsibilities of the Afghan people or set conditions for the country’s future. In his view, the UN should focus on its own responsibilities and facilitate Afghanistan’s enjoyment of its rights as an independent country within the framework of the organization.

Higher Education Minister: Conditions Now in Place for Implementing Sharia

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

1 Feb 2026

Drug Smuggling Persists Along Afghanistan–Tajikistan Border After Deadly Clash, Official Confirms

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

February 1, 2026

Officials say drug traffickers continue exploiting the long Afghanistan–Tajikistan border as clashes erupt, underscoring persistent regional challenges to counter narcotics smuggling efforts.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for Kabul administration acknowledged that narcotics smuggling into Tajikistan continues despite ongoing counter-drug efforts along the shared border.

Tajik border forces reported a clash with armed smugglers along the frontier, saying three suspected traffickers were killed during the confrontation.

Afghan officials said efforts are underway to improve border control and prevent drug trafficking, noting the long and difficult terrain complicates enforcement.

Authorities from both sides are said to be coordinating to address border security issues and reduce illegal crossings used by traffickers.

Tajik security officials also reported seizing weapons and several bags containing dozens of packages of hashish and opium following the operation.

Afghanistan has long been one of the world’s largest producers of opium, with trafficking routes extending through Central Asia toward Russia and European markets.

The Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, stretching over 1,300 kilometers across mountainous terrain, has historically been difficult to monitor, allowing smuggling networks to operate.

Despite official cooperation, recurring clashes and continued seizures highlight the ongoing challenge of securing the border and curbing regional drug trafficking networks.

Islamic Emirate Says It Is Coordinating With Tajikistan on Border Issues

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

31 Jan 2026

The incident, according to authorities in Dushanbe, resulted in the deaths of three individuals.

According to reports by Tajik media citing officials from the country’s security forces, an armed clash has occurred along the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The incident, according to authorities in Dushanbe, resulted in the deaths of three individuals.

The reports say that border forces of Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security stated the clash took place on Thursday evening near one of the border posts. A group that had entered from inside Afghanistan and was attempting to cross the border illegally engaged in an armed confrontation with Tajik border guards.

Tajik authorities said that during the exchange of fire, three individuals were killed, while two others retreated back into Afghan territory.

The report adds that several weapons and a quantity of narcotics were also seized following the incident.

According to a section of Tajik media reports: “During the exchange of fire, three individuals were killed at the scene. The identities of the deceased were announced as Javid son of Dawlatmand, Rashid son of Dawlatmand, and Saber son of Zahir, residents of Takhar province. Two other individuals returned to Afghan territory under the cover of darkness.”

Military analyst Asadullah Nadim said that most incidents along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border are linked to smuggling and require greater intelligence cooperation, closer coordination between border forces, and stronger preventive measures by both countries to stop smugglers from crossing the border.

Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan told TOLOnews that Afghan and Tajik border forces remain in coordination, that the recent incident has been shared with the Islamic Emirate, and that steps will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to resolve border-related issues and to prevent smuggling. For many years, this border has been used by smugglers through various methods. Although our forces are aware of these issues, the border area is extensive, and at times smugglers take advantage of this. In the recent incident, smugglers attempted to cross the border and were confronted by Tajik border police. Nevertheless, our forces remain in coordination with Tajik forces, have shared the issue, and will work to prevent such incidents in the future.”

This comes as, in a previous incident in which two Tajik border guards were killed, the foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan described the event as an attempt to disrupt relations between Kabul and Dushanbe.

Afghanistan’s Embassy in Japan Officially Ceases Operations

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

January 31, 2026

Afghanistan’s embassy in Japan has officially ceased operations, marking another diplomatic closure following political changes that disrupted overseas missions since the takeover.

Shida Mohammad Abdali, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan, has announced that the operations of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tokyo have been officially suspended as of today, Saturday.

In a statement posted on his X account, he wrote that today marked the final working day of Afghanistan’s embassy in the Japanese capital.

He added, “With a heavy heart, I am leaving Tokyo.”

Before its closure, the embassy functioned as the official diplomatic channel between Afghanistan and Japan and provided consular services to Afghan nationals residing in the country.

The shutdown follows the suspension of activities at several Afghan embassies worldwide after the return of the Taliban to power in 2021.

Many diplomats appointed by the former Afghanistan government have been dismissed, while the management of some missions has changed temporarily or under pressure.

Japan has not formally recognized the Taliban-led administration, maintaining limited engagement focused mainly on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Since 2021, dozens of Afghan diplomatic missions have either closed or reduced operations, creating uncertainty over legal status, staffing, and funding.

The closure has raised growing concerns among Afghan citizens abroad about access to diplomatic representation and essential consular services.

More than 120 dead after multiple suicide and gun attacks in Pakistan, officials say

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

The Guardian

Associated Press

Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that multiple suicide and gun attacks by “terrorists” across the restive south-western province of Balochistan killed 33 people, including civilians, while security forces responding to the violence killed 92 assailants.

Analysts described it as the deadliest single day for militants in decades.

During the attacks, Baloch insurgents targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations. Eighteen civilians, 15 security personnel and 92 insurgents were killed, the military said.

Though Baloch separatists and the Pakistani Taliban frequently target security forces in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country, coordinated attacks on this scale are rare. Authorities said at least 133 militants have been killed across Balochistan over the past 48 hours, including 92 on Saturday.

The military and Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attackers had the backing of India.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi, which has denied such allegations previously.

The BLA released videos showing female fighters taking part in the attacks, apparently part of propaganda efforts to highlight the role of women among the militants.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said most of the attacks were foiled. They came a day after the military said security forces this week raided two militant hideouts in the country’s south-west, killing 41 insurgents in separate gun battles.

The provincial chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, wrote on X that security forces were chasing the insurgents. He said at least 700 insurgents were killed by security forces in the past year.

Earlier on Saturday, authorities said that insurgents destroyed rail tracks, prompting Pakistan Railways to suspend train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country. Targets were police, prison, paramilitary forces and passengers

The attacks began almost simultaneously across the province, the provincial health minister, Bakht Muhammad Kakar, said. He said two police officers were killed in a grenade attack on a police vehicle in Quetta, the provincial capital. The government declared an emergency at all hospitals.

Dozens of insurgents also attacked a prison in Mastung district, freeing more than 30 inmates, police said. In other attacks, militants attempted to storm the provincial headquarters of paramilitary forces in Nushki district, but the attack was repelled, police said.

Insurgents hurled grenades at the office of a government administrator in Dalbandin district, but a swift response by security forces forced them to flee, according to local authorities.

Attacks on security posts in Balincha, Tump and Kharan districts were thwarted, while in Pasni and Gwadar, insurgents attempted to abduct passengers travelling on buses along highways, police said.

The BLA is banned in Pakistan and designated a terrorist organisation by the US. It has been behind numerous attacks in recent years, and Pakistan says the group enjoys the backing from India, a charge New Delhi denies.

Pakistan has repeatedly said that Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the claim.

Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told the Associated Press that the “terrorists linked to BLA or other groups had never before been killed in such a large number in a single day” in Balochistan.

Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. The TTP is a separate group but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.

Balochistan has long been the site of an insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad.

How the blockade between Afghanistan and Pakistan is affecting people on both sides

February 1, 2026 Current News Articles

Betsy Joles

Heard on All Things Considered

National Public Radio

January 30, 2026

Borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been closed since October, disrupting trade around the region. It’s part of a broader dispute over how to handle increasingly active militant groups.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

In October, Pakistani and Afghan forces traded fire across their shared border. It’s part of a broader conflict between the neighbors over rising militancy in the region. Since then, borders between the countries have been closed with few exceptions. Trade has ground to a halt. Betsy Joles spoke to people who’ve been affected by this blockade, and sent us this report.

BETSY JOLES, BYLINE: Near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, a group of truck drivers gathers around the dying coals of a campfire. They’ve been unable to get the goods they’re carrying into Afghanistan.

JOLES: One of these drivers is an Afghan, Anwar Zadran, who was bound for Kabul with a truck full of cement. He’s been stuck here on the Pakistan side for more than three months. Every day, Zadran wears the same thin clothes he arrived at the border in. When he hand-washes them, the winter sun is barely strong enough to dry them out.

JOLES: “I wish the border would open soon so that we can get some relief,” Zadran says.

Truck drivers on this route are used to intermittent closures of the border, which snakes for more than 1,600 miles between Pakistan and Afghanistan. These closures usually last a few weeks tops, but this one has stretched on much longer, disrupting business across the region. Shahid Hussain is a trader in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, some 40 miles from the border. On a small whiteboard in his office, he’s written out alternate routes for his goods headed for Central Asia.

SHAHID HUSSAIN: Islamabad to Tashkent via Afghanistan – 1,581 kilometers.

JOLES: He’s figuring out how to send these shipments through China instead of Afghanistan. Hussain compares his business of more than 20 years to a tree with its water supply cut off.

JOLES: In early January, business leaders from Pakistan and Afghanistan formed a joint committee to assess the border situation. Jawad Hussain Kazmi heads the committee from the Pakistan side.

JOLES: He says the Pakistani government has a one-point agenda when it comes to reopening the border, and that’s improved security. Pakistan has seen an uptick in militant attacks on its soil since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. Many of these attacks have been carried out by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistan Taliban. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said during a workshop in Islamabad in late January that his country wants the Taliban to stop harboring militant groups. But…

JOLES: So Pakistan shut its borders. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s accusations. It sees the border closure as a pressure tactic from Islamabad and is seeking to diversify trade with India and others. The dispute has urgent consequences. One significant Pakistani export that is shut out of Afghanistan is medicine.

JOLES: At a wholesale market in Peshawar, shopkeepers pack medical supplies into cardboard boxes.

JOLES: Afghanistan relies on Pakistan for more than 60% of its medicine, and Pakistan’s yearly pharmaceutical exports there are worth around $200 million. In addition to wholesale buyers, shopkeepers say Afghan patients visit the market to buy medicine in bulk that’s hard to get in their country. Aslam Pervez, a business owner and trade leader here, says he worries for patients who are insulin dependent.

JOLES: He says, for them, it can be life-threatening.

JOLES: “We can’t change our neighbor,” Pervez says. “It’s the people from both sides who are going to be the losers.” With Wasim Sajjad in Peshawar, I’m Betsy Joles for NPR News.

Islamic Emirate Urges UN Neutrality in Afghanistan’s Internal Affairs

January 31, 2026 Current News Articles

Bibi Amina Hakimi

TOLOnews’ Reporter

31 Jan 2026

According to Mujahid, Afghanistan’s internal issues are solely the concern of its people.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has emphasized the need for the United Nations to maintain neutrality toward Afghanistan, stating that assessments of the country’s situation should be fair and free from prejudice.

According to Mujahid, Afghanistan’s internal issues are solely the concern of its people, and the United Nations as an institution responsible for defending the rights of states at the global level should have a responsible and realistic understanding of Afghanistan’s conditions.

Referring to past experiences, Mujahid added that Afghanistan has gone through various political structures and witnessed the presence of different groups and segments of society; however, this diversity has failed to ensure lasting security, stability, and peace.

He said: “Our society and our people need unity and cohesion. They require real stability and peace, as well as unity. This can only be achieved when a single government, under a single leadership, governs with responsibility and strong commitment.”

Jannat Fahim Chakari, a political analyst, believes: “In Afghanistan’s constitution, any international provision that contradicts Islamic law is rejected and not accepted. Under such a framework, Afghanistan can be integrated into the international community.”

Some political analysts argue that the Islamic Emirate’s emphasis on national sovereignty and internal unity is part of an effort to consolidate its political legitimacy at the international level.

They note that while stability and security are among the fundamental needs of the Afghan people, the international community and the United Nations simultaneously expect such stability to be accompanied by respect for human rights, inclusive participation, and political accountability.

Moien Gul Samkani, another political analyst, stressed: “The United Nations can play a strategic role between the Islamic Emirate and the international community and, through dialogue, offer solutions that would allow Afghanistan to obtain an active seat at the United Nations.”

Meanwhile, Hema yatullah Ahmadi, another political analyst, said: “The three main issues emphasized by the international community are human rights, ethnic participation in governance, and political accountability. The Afghan government has largely been able to protect the lives, property, and dignity of the people, and all ethnic groups have a share in governance an important achievement in itself.”

At the same time, yesterday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that the United Nations is pursuing four main objectives in Afghanistan: inclusive representation of all ethnic groups in institutions, respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls preventing the activities of terrorist groups, and managing drug trafficking.

UK Envoy Says a Peaceful Afghanistan Requires Respect for All Rights

January 31, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

January 31, 2026

Britain’s envoy for Afghanistan warned that new court rules threaten justice and peace by discriminating against women, ethnics and dissenting citizens.

Richard Lindsay, the UK’s representative for Afghanistan, said a just and peaceful Afghanistan requires respect for the rights of all citizens.

He said the Taliban’s newly approved criminal code for their courts shows the opposite, institutionalising discrimination against women, minorities and those defying imposed social norms.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada recently endorsed the group’s “criminal code for courts,” making it binding across the country.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have steadily imposed strict legal and social restrictions, particularly targeting women’s rights and religious freedoms.

The code has triggered widespread criticism from political groups and rights advocates, who warn it could deepen repression and erode basic protections.

Under the code, violence against women and children is narrowly defined as severe physical harm, while psychological and sexual abuse are not explicitly prohibited.

The Taliban justice ministry has rejected criticism, saying opposition to its laws is a religious crime and that all legislation is derived from Hanafi jurisprudence, the Quran and Sunnah.

By ABDUL SATTAR and MUNIR AHMED

The Guardian

Associated Press

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