Daesh-Khorasan has suffered a significant setback in Afghanistan as a senior commander, Mohammed Ehsani — also known as Anwar — was killed in an attack by unknown armed assailants in Mazar-e-Sharif.

According to security sources, Ehsani was ethnically Tajik and was responsible for training suicide bombers and facilitating their transfer to Pakistan.

Ehsani was also the main facilitator of the 2022 Kocha Risaldar blast in Peshawar, a tragic attack that claimed 67 lives.

The sources stated that Ehsani was considered a key planner behind multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan, and his death marks a major blow to Daesh-Khorasan’s operational capabilities.

The security sources maintained that during the ongoing “Operation Sarbakaf” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three Daesh-K militants were killed earlier this month, including one Afghan national.

Operations are also continuing in Bajaur and other regions against facilitators of Daesh-K and the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).