An Iranian newspaper, Jomhouri-e Eslami, has published an article alleging that the Sunni Islamist armed group Jaish ul-Adl operates bases in Afghanistan with the support of the Afghan Taliban.
According to the newspaper, the group receives both logistical and political backing from the Taliban, which raises concerns about potential malevolent activities.
Sayed Ahmad Mousavi, the article's author, also noted that some Kurdish groups, under the Taliban's patronage, are operating in Afghanistan, conducting military exercises.
The newspaper’s article is based on the broader hypothesis that forced deportations of Afghan immigrants from Iran and Pakistan are designed to pressure the Taliban.
The article suggests that both Iran and Pakistan may be using the deportation of Afghan immigrants as leverage against the Taliban. This theory is supported by the concurrent initiation of mass deportations by both countries, particularly in response to increased insecurity and attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan.
The publication raised the possibility of Iran and Pakistan collaborating to contain the Taliban, especially considering the recent visit of high-ranking Pakistani security and military officials to Tehran before the start of the mass deportation of Afghans from Iran. The article implies that Afghan immigrants are being used as a tool to pressure the Taliban.
However, the paper, identified as affiliated with Iran's reformist political faction, warned that Iran's involvement in a plan orchestrated by Pakistan could have negative consequences. The author expressed concerns that such a move might provoke the Taliban to support proxy groups like Jaish ul-Adl against Iran.
The article's claims follow the recent attack by Jaish ul-Adl on a police headquarters in Rask City, Sistan and Baluchistan, Iran, which resulted in the deaths of 12 Iranian police officers. Iranian officials believe that Jaish ul-Adl operates from bases in Pakistan.
Jaish ul-Adl is an armed Sunni Islamist group opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran, which introduces itself as the "Army of Justice".
The group considers itself the defender of Sunni rights, especially in Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran.
Sistan and Baluchistan province in the southeast of Iran is the second largest province of the country. The Sunni citizens of this province complain about widespread discrimination by the Iranian government against them.
In reaction to the attack, former Afghan government officials, including Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, have also indicated ties between the Taliban and Jaish ul-Adl. Nabil said that the Taliban had overthrown Nimroz province in 2021 with the support of the same group.