According to the National Security Directorate, Karachi-born Mohammad Hanif also had “close ties” with the Taliban.
A Pakistani bomb maker who trained Taliban members before switching to al-Qaeda was killed in a security operation in western Afghanistan, the country’s secret service said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the National Security Directorate said Mohammad Hanif was a close advisor to Asim Omar, who ran al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS) and was killed in a joint US-Afghan operation in 2019.
The agency said Hanif, originally from Karachi, has “close ties” with the Taliban and has helped train fighters to make car bombs and improvised explosive devices.
It was said that he was originally a member of the Taliban but joined al-Qaeda in 2010.
Officials have long accused the Taliban of maintaining close ties with al-Qaeda, who were held responsible for the deadly attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
Two Pakistani women were also arrested in the operation that led to Hanif’s murder, the NDS said without providing further details.
The Taliban have not commented.
Hanif’s murder came just days after security forces killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a long-sought US top al-Qaeda member.
The Taliban’s protection against al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden was the main reason for the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
About 19 years later, in a landmark agreement with Washington in February, the Taliban agreed that Afghan soil would not be used by foreign armed groups – including Al-Qaeda – in return for the US withdrawal of all troops.
Separately, the Taliban and the Afghan government are currently holding peace talks, which began in September but have made no significant progress.
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