A militant killed by security forces in an operation in North Waziristan has been revealed to be an Afghan national.

The army had conducted an intelligence-based operation on February 28, targeting a hideout of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGB) in Ghulam Khan, North Waziristan.  The operation resulted in the deaths of six militants.

Among the militants killed was an Afghan national named as Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, also known as Mansoor.

Rehman, an Afghan national, held the rank of Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Hazrat Muaaz bin Jabal (RA) National Military Academy at the Abu Ubaida Ibn-Jarrah National Defense University, Ministry of National Defense of Afghanistan.

His funeral was reportedly held yesterday in his home village of Dindar, Sybki Darra, Chak District, Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

A image circulating on social media invited people to Rehman’s funeral and added that he had been killed in Waziristan.

Rehman is not the first Afghan national to be killed by Pakistani forces in a counter-terrorism operation this year. On February 6, Luqman Khan, also known as Nusrat, was killed by security forces in North Waziristan. His body was later handed over to Afghan authorities.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly expressed concerns about the militants operating from Afghanistan and being involved in terrorism in Pakistan. The concerns were highlighted by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at a recent summit on multilateralism in the United Nations Security Council as well.

A report published by the UNSC’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team recently revealed that the Afghan government was actively supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other groups in terms of training and direct cash handouts. The Afghan government was found to be providing as much as $43,000 per month to TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud.