Pakistani security sources stated on Sunday that they have provided media outlets with images which, according to them, show several senior commanders of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul.
According to these sources, those allegedly visible in the images include Sadar Hayat, known as “Abu Sufian,” a senior commander of the group and head of the Abu Sufian convoy, along with Commander Jalali, Commander Rahber Waziri, Commander Ghazi, and several other individuals.
In contrast, Afghanistan International reported that it cannot independently verify the identities of the individuals in the images or their political and military affiliations. The exact time and location of when the images were taken also remain unconfirmed.
In the released images, around ten men dressed in traditional clothing are seen near an outdoor swimming pool. Most are wearing shalwar kameez, while some also wear waistcoats, scarves, or traditional Pakol caps.
Analysis based on satellite imagery indicates that the pool visible in the images matches, in terms of its polygonal design, the swimming pool of the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. Additionally, the presence of two orange structures on either side of the pool, the location of the main building to the west of the pool, and the surrounding green areas are consistent with available images of the site.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group is an Islamist militant organization operating in Pakistan’s tribal regions, which has increased its activities and attacks against Pakistani security forces following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Some analysts consider this group to be an independent faction separate from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In recent years, the Government of Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens to members and leaders of Pakistani Taliban-linked groups. The Afghan Taliban have consistently rejected these allegations.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, Pakistan, and several other countries have designated the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan as a terrorist organization.
According to reports by the United Nations Security Council sanctions monitoring team, more than twenty armed groups and networks are active or have been reported to be present in Afghanistan. These reports mention groups such as ISIS-Khorasan, Al-Qaeda, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Jamaat Ansarullah, and several smaller groups operating in the country.
The Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, built in 1969, is one of Afghanistan’s historic and well-known hotels. In the past, it hosted diplomats, journalists, and foreign delegations. Since the 1980s, it has no longer been part of the InterContinental international chain and is currently operated by private Afghan owners.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
