Mastermind Of Peshawar's Koocha Risaldar Mosque Bombing Gunned Down In Mazar-I-Sharif

An Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) commander accused of orchestrating attacks inside Pakistan, including the 2022 Koocha Risaldar mosque bombing in Peshawar that killed 67 worshippers, has been shot dead in Afghanistan's Balkh province, according to regional security officials.

The militant, identified as Muhammad Ihsani, also known as Anwar, was an ethnic Tajik and described by intelligence sources as IS-KP's chief facilitator for Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Unknown assailants opened fire on Ihsani late Thursday in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing him instantly. No group has claimed responsibility.

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Pakistani counter-terrorism officials say Ihsani trained and escorted Tajik suicide bombers across the border and was on a wanted list for his alleged role in the Koocha Risaldar attack, one of the deadliest sectarian bombings in Pakistan in recent years.

The killing follows a separate intelligence-led operation in Pakistan that eliminated another Tajik IS-KP operative accused of plotting a church attack in Peshawar.

Afghan authorities have not issued a statement on the incident. While the Taliban administration denies that foreign militants operate from Afghan territory, Islamabad and other regional governments maintain that Islamic State fighters and allied extremists continue to find sanctuary there.

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