Five members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group were killed in the premature explosion of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.
Five members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group were killed in the premature explosion of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.
File photo of an Afghan man inspecting a house destroyed during clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in Kunduz on November 4, 2016. (Reuters)
The incident occurred in Asmar district of Kunar province when a group of 10 LeT fighters were planting roadside bombs to target convoys of security forces, the Afghan defence ministry said in a statement.
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Two LeT fighters were also injured, the defence ministry said without giving more details.
The LeT, which has been banned by Pakistan and India, is active in several South Asian countries, including Afghanistan. It was founded by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who now heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawah.
After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the JuD was declared a front for the LeT by the UN Security Council.
Though the LeT has not been heavily involved in the Taliban-led campaign against Western troops in Afghanistan, it is believed to operate in Kunar and Nuristan provinces, Khaama Press news agency reported.
The LeT also has close links with militants based in Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Militant groups in Afghanistan have often used IEDs to target security forces and Afghan officials. Many civilians have also been killed or injured in these attacks.
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The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in October that it had documented 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties (2,562 deaths and 5,835 injured) between January and September this year.
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The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in October that it had documented 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties (2,562 deaths and 5,835 injured) between January and September this year.
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.
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