ISLAMABAD:

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that Afghanistan became a center of recruitment and facilitation for IS terrorists by 2024 and asked the authorities in Kabul to take steps to prevent the use of terrorism and the guilt of Afghan soil against other countries.

In a post on X, the minister directly rejected a statement by Afghanistan’s acting deputy foreign minister and allegations against Pakistan, terming them an attempt to “shift the blame”.

According to the report of the UN monitoring team, the defense minister said, more than two dozen terrorist groups, including the banned TTP, Al-Qaeda, IS were operating in Afghanistan.