Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of harboring and supporting the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, better known as ISIS-K, escalating tensions between the two neighbors following a new wave of deadly cross-border clashes.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid alleged that Pakistan has “turned a blind eye” to ISIS-K’s presence on its territory, further claiming that Islamabad had established training centers for the group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mujahid asserted that these bases were used to plan several major international terrorist attacks, including the January 2024 bombing in Kerman, Iran, and the March 2024 Crocus City Hall massacre in Moscow.
“The Pakistani government’s security apparatus has long known of these training sites,” Mujahid said. “They not only tolerate them but assist in providing logistical and intelligence support for ISIS-K activities.”
This is not the first time Kabul has accused Pakistan of supporting or sheltering ISIS-K elements. In September 2024, Mujahid claimed that ISIS-K commanders had been transferred to Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces with intelligence assistance. In March 2025, he alleged that a government-backed training camp for ISIS-K was operating near Mastung in Balochistan.
The latest accusations come amid heightened military confrontations along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Over the weekend, Pakistani airstrikes targeted areas in and around Kabul and other Afghan provinces, reportedly in an attempt to kill Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud. Afghanistan responded on Saturday with what it called a “retaliatory operation,” sparking heavy exchanges of fire that left dozens of soldiers dead on both sides and prompted additional Pakistani airstrikes.
Fighting subsided late Sunday following mediation efforts by Arab states. However, relations between Kabul and Islamabad remain fraught, largely due to Pakistan’s repeated accusations that the Afghan government shelters the TTP, which continues to launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan.