Pakistan arrests Daesh-K spokesperson Sultan Aziz: UN report

WEB DESK: Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have arrested Daesh-Khorasan spokesperson and founder of its media wing Sultan Aziz Azam, according to a United Nations report, dealing a major blow to the terror outfit’s propaganda and recruitment machinery.

The development is detailed in the 16th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which said Azam was arrested on May 16, 2025, by a Pakistani intelligence agency.

The report described Sultan Aziz as the founder of Daesh-K’s media wing Al-Azaim, a key platform used by the group for recruitment, ideological messaging and propaganda. Following his arrest, the report said, Daesh-K’s media activities were effectively suspended, including the shutdown of major propaganda outlets such as Voice of Khorasan.

According to the UN, Pakistan’s actions led to a broader weakening of Daesh-K’s organisational structure at the global level. Several planned attacks were thwarted, the number of fighters declined, and senior commanders and ideological leaders were neutralised.

The report further noted that the arrests of Azam and senior leader Abu Yasir al-Turki significantly reduced the group’s operational capability.

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Sources cited in the report said Azam had previously served as an adviser to the Nangarhar provincial council in Afghanistan before assuming a key role in Daesh-K’s media operations.

The UN document also highlighted ongoing cross-border attacks in Pakistan, mostly carried out by the banned Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan from Afghan soil, describing the threat as the “greatest short-term risk” to regional stability.