At a time when concerns about ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) are increasing, recent reports and a series of arrests have intensified a critical question: where is the group’s safest operational base?
Recent security developments indicate that the most important safe haven for ISIS-K activities lies across the Durand Line, in areas under Pakistan’s control. Pakistan is increasingly being described as the safest location for the group’s covert presence, organization, and movement.
According to recent reports by Pakistani media, ISIS-K spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azzam was arrested in the area between Nangarhar and Khyber, on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line. This arrest has raised serious questions, particularly as Afghanistan and several regional countries have repeatedly claimed that senior ISIS-K leaders are based inside Pakistan.
Following the arrest of Sultan Aziz Azzam, Turkey announced that its National Intelligence Organization (MİT) had captured a senior ISIS operative, Mehmet Gören, who had been assigned to carry out suicide attacks. He was detained near the Afghanistan-Pakistan notional border and transferred to Turkey.
Intelligence sources stated that Mehmet Gören, known by the alias “Yahya,” had previously worked closely with Özgür Altun, also known as “Abu Yasir al-Turki,” who had earlier been arrested and brought to Turkey. Gören reportedly played a key role in recruiting and transferring ISIS members from Turkey to Pakistan.
Reports further indicate that Gören had pledged to carry out deadly suicide attacks against civilians in Afghanistan, Turkey, and Europe, and had been formally tasked with these operations.
Through extensive technical and physical surveillance, MİT determined that Mehmet Gören was alive and hiding in Pakistan. After confirming his location, Turkish intelligence launched an operation, arrested him, and transferred him to Turkey.
In his confession, Yahya (Mehmet Gören) provided details about his links with Abu Yasir al-Turki (Özgür Altun), the military and religious training he received within ISIS, and the suicide mission assigned to him.
Turkish state media claim that as a result of the MİT operation, ISIS plans targeting Turkey were thwarted, the group’s recruitment network was exposed, and operational attack plans were seized.
Earlier this week, media outlets close to the Taliban also reported the arrest of individuals accused of carrying out attacks on Chinese nationals near the Tajikistan border. According to security sources cited by these outlets, the suspects had been sent from Pakistan.
Together, these three incidents once again raise a crucial question: why are ISIS-linked individuals either being arrested in areas under Pakistan’s control or transferred from Pakistan to other countries? The sequence of events suggests intensified intelligence activity.
Previously, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated in a press conference that several ISIS-K leaders are present across the Durand Line in Pakistan and called on the Pakistani government to hand them over to Afghanistan. These statements have further increased regional suspicions toward Pakistan.
There have also been repeated claims that Shahab al-Muhajir, the leader of ISIS-K, resides and manages operations from areas under Pakistan’s control. Pakistan, however, has consistently dismissed these allegations as baseless.
These developments come at a time when Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, is traveling to the United States, seeking to present himself to Washington as a key security partner. Analysts believe Islamabad is attempting to gain international credibility through limited arrests and intelligence cooperation against ISIS. However, serious questions remain unanswered regarding the group’s sustained presence and safe havens.
Overall, while the arrest of several high-profile ISIS figures is being presented as part of counterterrorism efforts, the pattern of events strengthens the perception that Pakistan continues to play a controversial and heavily scrutinized role in the regional ISIS network. Until transparent, sustained, and impartial measures are taken, regional security is likely to remain under constant threat.
