DND Report
Terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), has intensified alarmingly over the past few years, posing grave challenges to national security, internal stability, and regional peace.
There is overwhelming evidence that Afghan Taliban rule has become a sanctuary for terrorist organizations targeting Pakistan and the wider region. The resurgence of TTP, its financial and logistical backing by Afghan Taliban, and its growing alliances with global jihadist and separatist groups has been documented by several international agencies including United Nations that warns Afghanistan has become a jumping pad for global terrorism.
Growing nexus between the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is harming regional security and terrorism spillover into countries such as Tajikistan and Pakistan is undeniable. Despite repeated denials by Kabul’s de facto authorities, mounting evidence from international organizations, intelligence agencies, and regional governments confirms that Afghanistan has once again become a hub for transnational terrorism. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) monitoring reports, US State Department assessments, and statements from regional powers establish an evidence-based understanding of the evolving threat landscape.
On Monday January 12, 2026, at least six police officers, including an additional Station House Officer (SHO), and one civilian were martyred when a police armored personnel carrier was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) while traveling from Gomal to Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to official sources.
The martyred officers included SHO Ishaq Marwat, Constable Sher Aslam, driver Abdul Majeed, and constables Arshad Ali, Hazrat Ali, and Ehsan Ullah. A civilian passer-by was also killed in the blast. In a separate incident on the same day, an IED targeted a police vehicle near Darah Tang, within the jurisdiction of Saddar Police Station in Lakki Marwat. Three police personnel, including SHO Razaq Khan, sustained injuries in the explosion. These attacks reflect a consistent pattern of targeted violence against law enforcement agencies, aimed at weakening state authority in border-adjacent districts.
Terrorism in KP has escalated significantly over the past two years. According to official data and independent security assessments, KP accounts for more than 70 percent of terrorist incidents in Pakistan. Districts such as North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan have emerged as epicenters of militant activity.
Despite this deteriorating security situation, the sitting Chief Minister of KP has repeatedly claimed that Afghanistan’s government is not involved in terrorism inside Pakistan. This assertion directly contradicts findings by the United Nations, the United States, and intelligence assessments by China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian states, all of which confirm that Afghan Taliban are actively supporting, harboring, financing, and equipping TTP militants. The situation has become increasingly alarming as the Chief Minister of KP has publicly adopted language identical to that used by Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. In recent press conferences, both figures stated that Pakistan must provide “credible evidence” of Afghan Taliban involvement in terrorism and claimed that Pakistan is the only country raising such concerns.
This narrative is demonstrably false. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, China, and Russia have all expressed serious concerns about terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. The CM Sohail Afridi’s refusal to acknowledge these realities, coupled with his opposition to counterterrorism operations, has raised questions about political patronage and ideological alignment with terrorist’s narratives.
Multiple international reports confirm that the majority of terrorist organizations targeting Pakistan originate from Afghan territory. According to security assessments, 60–70 percent of militants neutralized in Pakistan have Afghan affiliations or have operated from Afghan sanctuaries.
Despite repeated denials by Kabul’s de facto authorities, mounting evidence from international organizations, intelligence agencies, and regional governments confirms that Afghanistan is funding, hosting and training terrorists and senior TTP leaders, including Noor Wali Mehsud, Bashir Zeb, and Gul Bahadur, are reportedly based in Afghanistan. These leaders operate openly, maintain training camps, and coordinate cross-border attacks with impunity. Meanwhile, KP continues to suffer daily casualties, yet the provincial leadership has repeatedly stated it will not permit counterterrorism operations.
A recent report by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team revealed a sharp increase in collaboration between the Afghan Taliban and TTP. The report stated that Pakistan endured more than 800 terrorist attacks in recent months alone, primarily targeting military and law enforcement installations. The report emphasized that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan has become a source of “heightened concern” for numerous UN member states. It highlighted that TTP and Afghan Taliban share manpower, training facilities, and logistical resources, often conducting attacks under the banner of “Tehrik-e-Jihad Pakistan” to obscure organizational identities.
Meanwhile, the 35th report presented to the UN Security Council also vindicated Pakistan’s stance. It revealed:
- TTP carried out over 600 terrorist attacks inside Pakistan between July and December 2024.
- TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud reportedly receives approximately USD 43,000 per month from Afghan Taliban sources.
- New TTP training centers were established in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika provinces.
- Recruitment increased, including enlistment from within Afghan Taliban ranks.
- Enhanced collaboration with Al-Qaeda, ETIM/TIP, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and Jamaat Ansarullah.
The report warned that such cooperation could transform TTP into an “extra-regional threat” capable of destabilizing South and Central Asia.
The report further identified growing coordination between religiously motivated groups such as TTP and ethno-nationalist outfits like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA’s Majeed Brigade, which maintains links with TTP, IS-K, and ETIM/TIP, executed high-casualty attacks in Awaran, Panjgur, and Dalbandin.
This convergence represents a strategic evolution in militancy, combining ideological extremism with separatist violence, thereby expanding the scope and lethality of terrorist operations.
Contrary to claims that only Pakistan faces terrorism from Afghanistan, Tajikistan has repeatedly raised alarms. In April 2023, Tajik security forces dismantled an Afghan-origin terrorist cell that had crossed the border to conduct attacks. In 2024, five Chinese engineers were killed in separate attacks in Tajikistan, linked to militants operating from Afghan territory. Tajik authorities also reported drone-based reconnaissance and attacks launched from Afghan soil, targeting Chinese projects and security installations. These incidents prompted Dushanbe to demand accountability from Kabul, further exposing the falsity of claims that neighboring countries have no concerns.
China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has also repeatedly warned that terrorist groups, including TTP, ETIM/TIP, and IS-K, are operating freely in Afghanistan and pose a direct threat to regional security and Chinese nationals.
Russia has similarly expressed concerns through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), highlighting the risk of terrorism spreading into Central Asia due to Afghan instability and militant sanctuaries.
The United States has also raised concerns. According to the US State Department and the UN Independent Assessment pursuant to Resolution 2679 (2023), the Taliban continue to host Al-Qaeda and enable TTP operations.
While the Taliban claim compliance with the Doha Agreement, terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda, ISIS-K, TTP, IMU, and ETIM remain active across Afghanistan.
In the presence of such strong global evidences, the KP Chief Minister’s demand for evidence is strange and alarming not only for Pakistan rather for global peace. Analysts argue that such statements deliberately create ambiguity in Pakistan’s national counterterrorism narrative and undermine the sacrifices of security forces. Pakistan has repeatedly shared documented evidence with the Taliban regime, including intelligence dossiers, biometric data, and attack traces. The claim that neighboring countries have not raised similar concerns is factually incorrect and contradicted by public statements from China, Tajikistan, Iran, and Russia.
Equally troubling is the internal political discourse within Pakistan that echoes terrorist’s narratives and obstructs counterterrorism operations. At a time when Pakistan faces coordinated, externally Failure to confront this reality risks further loss of lives, erosion of state authority, and destabilization of South and Central Asia.
References
- United Nations Security Council, 35th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, 2024–2025.
- United Nations Security Council, Report on the Threat Posed by ISIL, Al-Qaeda and Associated Individuals, 2024.
- US Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2023–2024.
- UN Independent Assessment of Afghanistan pursuant to Resolution 2679 (2023).
- Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan, Press Briefings 2024–2025.
- Chinese Mission to the United Nations, Statements by Ambassador Fu Cong, 2023–2025.
- CSTO Security Assessments on Afghanistan, Russian Federation, 2024.
- Tajik Ministry of Interior, Counterterrorism Reports, 2023–2024.
- Institute for Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Afghanistan and Regional Terrorism, 2024.
- International Crisis Group, Afghanistan’s Militant Landscape, 2024.
- UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Security and Terrorism Briefs, 2023–2024
