Synergies between regional terrorist groups in Af-Pak region: CAT report

The synergies between regional terrorist groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and the international groups is a matter of concern as per a report by Centre d'analyse du terrorisme (CAT).

The report titled 'Pakistani Jihadis and Global Jihad' released on June 18 focuses on the historical and recent links of Pakistani terror groups with transnational terror groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The expanding global focus of the regional groups whether Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is visible from their public statements on international developments, said the report.

There is increasing radicalisation in Pakistan that would provide these groups a ready ground for recruiting youth.

Moreover, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is likely to witness a resurgence of the Taliban and greater coordination between Pakistan-supported groups like the LeT, JeM and the Taliban.

The report also notes that breaking the political and financial links between Pakistan and local jihadi organisations, some working under the guise of providing social and educational services to the people, is the key to weakening the reach and threat of these organisations.

Meanwhile, Counterterror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has criticized Pakistan's inaction against proscribed terror outfits that continue to function under different names.

Pakistan's prosecution of designated terror groups has remained the primary stumbling block since the country's return to the grey list in 2018.

(ANI)

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