Afghanistan has been a platform for operations by the Khawarij or the extremists, even though they claimed to be non-interference; indeed, they have received patronage from the Taliban government for their activity. With increasing activities of groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, security concern in Pakistan and other parts of the world has become of great concern. This support or at worst complicity has seen these groups perpetrate their act with a lot of ease compounding the already fragile security situation.
TTP, which has been fighting a crackdown against Pakistan for more than a decade, has rejected the claim by the Pakistani Foreign Office that the group is using Afghanistan to stage attacks inside Pak. But, available evidence suggests otherwise. Pakistan has time and again provided intelligence material evidencing the fact that TTP and other groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and ETIM are active in Afghanistan and are strongly patronized by the Taliban. The UNSC detailed report on July 20, 2024 outlined how the TTP and other terror outfits have also increased their foothold in Afghanistan. The report pointed out that the TTP carried out more than 800 attacks in Pakistan, sometimes from Afghanistan with the support, or at least without objections from the Afghan Taliban.
Not only has the Afghan Taliban ignored these operations, but the TTP has had commanders inside Afghanistan and has killed key leaders including Umar Khalid Khurasani and Fazlullah. However, this presence also creates significant questions whether the Taliban is directly supporting TTP or instead merely turning a blind eye to TTP activities in return for some form of concession. Nevertheless, the Taliban government has remained tight-lipped to such activities and has rejected Pakistan’s proofs as fake. This constant denial itself forms part of a more elaborate strategy of obfuscation intended to calm global actors while Afghan territory remains fully stocked with terrorist havens.
On the same note, a surge in the employment of enhanced weapons, some of which the TTP receive from the leftover US/NATO equipment’s in their attacks on Pakistan provides thirst proof of the Taliban’s support of the TTP. This weaponry being provided to Afghan security forces during the occupation by the American military includes sophisticated weaponry that have been safely used by the insurgent groups to make more fatal attacks. That the TTP has access to such weaponry is not just a matter of supply-chain logistics: it reflects a more systemic conflict-system in which Afghan Taliban act in the role of enablers of these groups to menace neighboring states.
This is compounded by the fact that Afghan Taliban seems to have a double dealing role in the conflict. Again and again, they say that they stick to the conditions of the Doha Agreement – one of them being the declaration of not letting Afghanistan infrastructure be used in order to launch attacks against other nations, but the facts on the ground speak otherwise. It would be very naive to expect that the Taliban would cut off all its links with such organizations like TTP, they seem to turn a blind eye on it and in some cases, might even provide support.
First and foremost, from a strategic perspective, Pakistan has been abided by CT since decades, and was sacrificing and striving to eliminate the terrorist groups including the TTP, ISIS-KP, and other militants. Pakistan’s struggle against the Khawariji fitna has been recognized internationally; however, the continuing supply or indulgence of these groups by the Afghan Taliban complicates the struggle. Pakistan had learned great lessons from the martyrdom of their security forces, but a proper cooperation from Afghanistan side is missed for the proper security of the region.
In light of these challenges, there are several critical recommendations for addressing the growing threat posed by the TTP and other terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan:
- The international society especially the United States of America, China and Russia should use diplomatic influence on the Afghan Taliban to stop harboring or using patronage on terrorist groups including the TTP. To encourage acceptance of these norms this may entail imposition of fines or political measures that can include international isolation.
- It is high time and on the part of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and their international partners, to better develop cooperation in the area of ‘counterterrorism intelligence’, with a view to identifying and dismantling terrorist actors. This would provide an efficient working against TTP and other terrorist’s groups that are active across the border.
- Constitution of a Pakistan-Afghanistan intelligence led counter-terrorism team to cooperate in combating terrorists and dismantling their networks featured in Afghanistan and Pak tribal areas and with supervision from regional actors like China and Russia.
- The Taliban must be made to answer for the breaches of the Doha agreement especially the provision that Afghan sit will not be used to stage attacks against any foreign country. The diplomatic engagement should therefore be directed towards trying to guarantee the Taliban uphold this pledge.
- People of Pakistan and people around the globe must remain sensitive and active about the acts of terror groups including TTP and its relation to Afghanistan’s Taliban. Sharing such links on the global level would bring extra political pressure on the Taliban to modify their policies.
Ultimately, ‘use’ of the terrorist groups like TTP by Afghan Taliban pose an un-acceptable security threat not only for Pakistan but for any other country in the region as well. It is only possible to respond to this challenge through diplomacy coupled with intelligence and military cooperation with regional and international participation. Nevertheless, only where this integrated process is supported through shared cooperation and mutual accountability can the disruptive impact of these terrorist groups be managed and ultimately addressed.
