After Balakot airstrike, Pakistani terrorists being trained in Afghanistan: Report

Members of terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been shifted to Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan months after the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aircraft their camps in Pakistan’s Balakot, according to a report.

According to HT, which claimed to reviewed documents, both the Pakistan-based terror groups have joined hands with the Afghan Taliban and Afghan insurgent group, Haqqani Network for training their cadre.

The IAF had struck a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot area on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel. The Pakistan Air Force retaliated the next day by unsuccessfully targeting various military installations in Jammu and Kashmir.

In Balakot operation too Mirage-2000 aircraft, equipped with SPICE bomb, after taking off from the Gwalior Base, had pounded the Jaish camp.         

According to Hindustan Times, India’s diplomatic missions and offices in Kabul and Kandahar have been put on high alert after receiving the intelligence inputs.

The report added that Indian security agencies believe that the terrorist cadre have been shifted to Afghanistan to avoid black-listing of Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in its Paris conference later this year.

Last month, Pakistan was given October deadline to improve its counter-terror financing operations in line with an internationally agreed action plan or face actions against it, said the FATF. The Financial Action Task Force said it was concerned that Pakistan had failed to complete the action plan first by a January deadline and then again by a May deadline.

"The FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its action plan by October 2019 when the last set of action plan items are set to expire," the FATF said in a statement.

In June 2018, Pakistan was placed in the 'Gray' list and given a 27-point action plan by the Paris-based FATF. This plan was reviewed at the last plenary in October 2018 and for the second time in February this year, when the country was again put into the 'Gray' list after India submitted new information about Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

Turkey was the only country that had opposed the move backed by the US, the UK and India. However, Pakistan's all-weather ally Beijing abstained.

The FATF continuing Pakistan in the 'Gray' list means its downgrading by the IMF, the World Bank, the ADB, the EU and also a reduction in risk rating by the Moody's, the S&P and the Fitch.

People familiar with the matter told HT that Indian diplomatic establishments, including the embassy in Kabul, were under threat heavily- JeM terrorists led by Haji Abdul Safi and Qari Wari Gulm which could carry out a vehicle-borne IED attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.