Pak Claims Afghan Nationals Involved in 70 Per Cent Attacks Carried Out by TTP

Pakistani officials have accused Afghan nationals of comprising 70% of the terrorists involved in recent assaults by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a sharp escalation from the 5-10% seen in previous years, according to a report in The Express Tribune. The revelation, made by Pakistan's special representative on Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq, during a closed-door Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, has heightened concerns over cross-border militancy and strained Islamabad-Kabul relations further.

Sadiq's briefing prompted the Iranian delegate to echo similar grievances, detailing an attack on Chabahar port where 16 of 18 assailants were Afghan nationals. This parallel underscores a regional pattern of Afghan-linked extremism spilling beyond borders, alarming Pakistani authorities who view it as evidence of the Taliban regime's failure—or reluctance—to dismantle TTP safe havens. The TTP, a Sunni Islamist militant group formed in 2007 as an umbrella for anti-Pakistan factions, has intensified operations since the 2021 Taliban takeover in Kabul, exploiting porous frontiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

Recent deadly strikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including ambushes on security forces, have directly been attributed by Islamabad to Afghan-based TTP elements, prompting fears of a broader destabilisation trend. Pakistan has historically blamed the Taliban for sheltering TTP leaders displaced by its own military campaigns in former tribal areas, such as the 2014 Zarb-e-Azb operation. Despite the Taliban's denials, the surge in Afghan involvement—linked to recruitment and training camps—signals a deepening operational footprint, potentially fuelling retaliatory actions and complicating bilateral ties amid ongoing border skirmishes.

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In response, Pakistan is ramping up diplomatic efforts to isolate the Taliban on the issue. Sadiq is slated to visit Tehran and Moscow shortly to forge a united front with Iran and Russia, both grappling with Afghan-sourced threats like ISIS-Khorasan incursions. This SCO-aligned strategy aims to compel Kabul toward verifiable crackdowns, leveraging shared regional anxieties over Afghanistan's instability. For Islamabad, the development not only exacerbates domestic security challenges but also risks escalating into a flashpoint, with experts warning that without Taliban concessions, it could undermine fragile peace processes and exacerbate humanitarian strains along the Durand Line.

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