UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 (Alliance News): The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a UN-designated terrorist organization, continues to receive logistical and financial support from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, facilitating its cross-border attacks in Pakistan, according to a newly released United Nations report.
The UN Sanctions Monitoring Team’s annual assessment, published late Thursday, highlighted a sharp rise in TTP-led terror incidents against Pakistani security forces and civilians, resulting in significant casualties.
The report noted that TTP carried out over 600 attacks during the review period, including those launched from Afghan territory.
The group has established new training centers in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika (Barmal) provinces, while also recruiting new members, including Afghan Taliban fighters.
The report further revealed increased collaboration between TTP, the Afghan Taliban, and Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent, operating under the umbrella of Tehrik-e-Jihad-e-Pakistan.
The report warned that growing cooperation between these groups, particularly in the provision of suicide bombers and fighters, could expand TTP’s influence beyond the region, making it a broader security threat.
With over two dozen terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan, the UN assessment emphasized that the security situation in the country continues to destabilize the region.
The report also highlighted Pakistani security forces’ success in disrupting ISIL-Khorasan’s (ISIL-K) attempts to establish a base inside Pakistan, leading to the arrest of high-profile operatives, including Adil Panjsheri (Afghan), Abu Munzir (Tajik), and Kaka Younis (Uzbek). ISIL-K, however, has adapted by replacing digital communications with in-person courier networks to evade detection.
The Majeed Brigade, a specialized unit of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for multiple high-casualty attacks in Pakistan’s southern regions, including Awaran, Panjgur, and Dalbandin.
The report noted the group’s inclusion of female operatives and its operational links with TTP, ISIL-K, and other extremist groups.
Regarding Afghanistan’s internal security, the report highlighted ISIL-K as a major threat to the Taliban regime, foreign diplomats, and ethnic minorities.
The group was responsible for the assassination of Khalil Ahmed Haqqani, acting Minister of Refugees & Repatriation, in a December suicide bombing, aiming to challenge the Taliban’s credibility in ensuring security.
Al-Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan remains significant, with the group leveraging Taliban-controlled safe houses and training camps to consolidate its operations.
The report also noted efforts by Al-Qaeda leader Sayf al-Adl to reactivate sleeper cells in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Europe, indicating the group’s long-term plans for external attacks.
