Turkish national Uğur Bahadır, a suspected member of Daesh, arrived at Islamabad Airport from Turkey before travelling to Mastung in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where he reportedly received training at a Daesh camp, sources said.

The sources say Bahadır, son of Kazim, was arrested in Pakistan in March 2025, contradicting Turkish media reports that Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) recently captured him in an intelligence operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

According to information obtained from the sources, Bahadır joined the sixth training group at a Daesh camp in Mastung, where he used the name Abdul Rehman. After completing his training, he remained at the Muawiya training centre while awaiting further instructions.

The sources said that following the destruction of Daesh camps in Mastung in late February 2025, Bahadır moved with other group members to Orakzai district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the instructions of the group’s leadership. He subsequently adopted the alias Abdullah.

In Orakzai, Bahadır initially stayed with a local Daesh commander identified as Hamza. After Hamza was killed in the Toorsmat area on February 20, Bahadır reportedly joined a group led by Haji Rehman, also known as Abu Nasir.

When Haji Rehman was killed during an operation in the Ghalju area on February 28, Bahadır and another Daesh member, identified as Yunus, son of Muhammad, and known as Yasser, attempted to travel to Peshawar.

The two were subsequently arrested at a local police checkpoint, according to the sources.

They said police initially suspected the men of involvement in drug trafficking before identifying their alleged links to Daesh.

The sources further alleged that the arrests were later presented as the outcome of a coordinated intelligence operation. They claimed that similar cases involving foreign Daesh members had also been portrayed as organized security operations after the individuals were detained in areas under Pakistan’s control.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington is ready to play a “productive role” in addressing Pakistan’s security concerns over alleged attacks originating from Afghan territory, although he did not elaborate on what such a role might involve.

Speaking at a press conference in Atlanta on Saturday, Rubio said Pakistan believes the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has not done enough to prevent such attacks.

“We obviously don’t want them to be targeted for terrorism. So, if there’s a productive role for us to play, we would play it,” Rubio said.

The top US diplomat added that Washington does not necessarily have close relations with the IEA.

“We’re against terrorism, no matter where it emanates from and who it targets,” he said.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the IEA of allowing militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

IEA officials have rejected the allegations, maintaining that Afghan territory is not being used against other countries.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate, says Kabul has made its final efforts to resolve tensions with Pakistan through dialogue, but these efforts have so far failed to produce tangible results.

Speaking to a local radio station, Mujahid confirmed that messages have been exchanged between Kabul and Islamabad. However, he said diplomatic initiatives by mediating countries and Islamic Emirate officials to ease tensions between the two neighbouring countries have also proved unsuccessful.

Mujahid attributed the lack of progress to what he described as Pakistan’s “wrong policies,” claiming that Islamabad has shown little willingness to resolve its differences with Kabul through peaceful negotiations.

He reiterated that Afghanistan was not responsible for the emergence of the current tensions, adding that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomatic engagement.

His remarks come amid continued tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as diplomatic efforts to ease bilateral differences have yet to produce a lasting breakthrough.