ISIS-K Commander’s Gunning Down Exposes Pak Terror Ecosystem

The recent killing of a senior ISIS-K commander by unidentified gunmen in Karachi has revealed another layer of Pakistan’s vast terror ecosystem. The slain operative, known by the alias “Hassan,” was regarded as one of the group’s key strategists, Afghanistan-based security sources told The Sunday Guardian.

Originally from Peshawar, he had played a central role in ISIS-K’s operations and was apparently preparing to direct future explosive attacks in Afghanistan in the coming days.

His presence in Karachi—Pakistan’s largest city and economic nerve centre—is significant. While ISIS-K’s operational hub remains in Balochistan, Karachi has for long functioned as a covert logistical base, used for recruitment, temporary hideouts, and intelligence training for the terror group, also known as Daesh. That a senior ISIS-K figure could reside and operate there, points to the level of latitude and protection terror operatives often enjoy inside Pakistan’s urban centres.

Sources told this newspaper that Hassan had been involved in key ISIS-K operations for several years. A seasoned commander and trusted figure within the organization, he played a central role in training and managing operatives who carried out attacks in Afghanistan. His killing is viewed as a significant operational setback for the group.

Till Saturday, ISIS-K had not issued any statement regarding his death.

The manner of Hassan’s killing is also notable. He was eliminated by “unknown gunmen,” a familiar pattern in Pakistan. This mirrors the targeted assassinations of several anti-India terrorist leaders based in Pakistan over the past two decades, including members of groups like Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Many were killed in deniable, targeted attacks, often in urban areas, with no claim of responsibility.

A similar method now appears to be used against ISIS-K terrorists. A few months ago, in Mastung, Balochistan, unknown gunmen attacked an ISIS-K hideout, killing a large number of the group’s members.

Mastung, located around 45 km south of Quetta, sits along key transit routes used by terrorist groups to move between southern Afghanistan and Pakistan’s interior. The scale and precision of the Mastung attack drew considerable attention within regional security circles, with many noting its resemblance to previous covert eliminations carried out against other groups.

The Taliban’s deep rivalry with ISIS-K has led many observers to attribute such targeted eliminations to Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), which is believed to have quietly expanded operations against ISIS-K operatives beyond Afghan territory.