Afghan forces arrest regional IS leader behind attack on gurudwara

Kabul, Apr 4 (AFP) Afghan forces have arrested the leader of the country's Islamic State group affiliate and the mastermind behind the attack on a gurudwara last month that killed 25 worshippers, authorities said Saturday.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that Aslam Farooqi, also known as Abdullah Orakzai, had been arrested along with 19 other men in a "complex operation".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an NDS official told AFP that Farooqi was the mastermind behind an IS-claimed attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul last month that killed at least 25 people.

Known as Islamic State in the Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghan IS branch has been on its back foot in recent months following continued operations by US forces and separately by the Taliban.

In November, Afghan officials said IS-K had been completely defeated in Nangarhar, one of the key eastern provinces where they first sought to establish a stronghold in 2015.

In the years since, they have claimed responsibility for a string of horrific bombings across Afghanistan.

In its statement, the NDS said Farooqi had admitted to having links with "regional intelligence agencies" -- a clear reference to Pakistan, which Afghanistan routinely blames for supporting jihadists and helping the Taliban.

Islamabad denies it does so.

US Forces-Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a query about Farooqi's arrest.