Taliban Officials Condemn Assassination of JUI-F Cleric Sheikh Idris

DID Press: Senior officials of Taliban’s ruling authorities have separately contacted the leadership of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) to express condolences and condemn the killing of senior cleric Sheikh Idris in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) said in a statement that top Taliban figures, including defence minister Mullah Yaqoob, interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, held separate phone calls with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express sympathy over the incident.

According to the statement, the Taliban officials described Sheikh Idris’s killing as a loss for religious circles in the region and stressed the need for joint efforts against extremist groups, including ISIS.

JUI-F sources said Maulana Fazlur Rehman appreciated the expressions of solidarity from Afghan officials.

Sheikh Idris, a senior figure within JUI-F, was killed four days ago in an armed attack in the Utmanzai area of Pakistan. He was reportedly targeted while travelling to a religious seminary.