ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (Alliance News): A United Nations Security Council monitoring team has said continued support by the Afghan Taliban for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has contributed to an increase in the number and lethality of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
The findings are contained in the 38th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, covering the period from December 16, 2025, to June 9, 2026.
The report also highlights growing operational and logistical links among the TTP, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIL-K) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
According to the report, cross-border attacks between Pakistan and Afghanistan increased during the reporting period, largely due to intensified TTP attacks against Pakistan. It states that the Taliban’s interim government continues to provide support to the TTP, resulting in more attacks on Pakistan and heightened military tensions along the border.
The report notes that while Afghan authorities relocated around 2,000 TTP fighters and their families from areas near the Pakistan border to other parts of Afghanistan, the move appeared aimed at managing the group rather than dismantling its operational infrastructure.
It also states that Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada privately warned the TTP leadership to halt attacks against Pakistan or risk losing Taliban support, reflecting what the report describes as a dual strategy of maintaining ideological ties while attempting to reduce pressure on relations with Islamabad.
The UN report warns that relocating militants alone will not eliminate the threat as long as the TTP’s command, training and logistics networks remain intact.
It says the TTP has expanded its organisational structure by creating new operational divisions for Balochistan and Central Pakistan, as well as Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The group also announced a new unit referred to as the “TTP Air Force,” indicating efforts to enhance its operational capabilities.
In March, the TTP launched its multilingual spring offensive, Operation Khyber, calling for increased attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. Among the deadliest attacks during the reporting period was the February 16 bombing in Bajaur, where an improvised explosive device killed 11 security personnel and one child. The TTP claimed responsibility, and the attack was reportedly planned from Afghanistan.
The report also highlights increasing cooperation among militant organisations operating in and from Afghanistan. It says Al-Qaeda’s As-Sahab Media Foundation publicly endorsed Taliban rule and, for the first time, openly supported the TTP’s attacks against Pakistan.
According to information provided by one UN member state, BLA militants received training alongside TTP fighters from Al-Qaeda instructors in Afghanistan.
The report further states that Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has become a central component of Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, which has allegedly been involved in multiple attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The report says AQIS leadership remains based in Kabul, where it has reportedly been issued Afghan identity documents, indicating continued cooperation between AQIS and Taliban authorities.
The UN also describes ISIL-K as the most significant terrorist threat facing both the Taliban government and the wider region. Although counterterrorism operations by Pakistan and the Taliban have weakened the group, it is reorganising its network in northern Afghanistan while maintaining training facilities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The report says ISIL-K has shifted its strategy from controlling territory to carrying out fewer but more high-profile attacks designed to inflict mass casualties.
According to member states, ISIL-K possesses advanced military equipment, including drones, night-vision devices and thermal imaging systems, and has received specialised training in urban warfare and drone operations.
The report also notes that ISIL-K and the BLA are believed to share logistical and facilitation networks. While attacks by ISIL-K inside Afghanistan have declined, its activities in Pakistan have increased.
Among the incidents cited is the February 6 suicide bombing at Khadijat-ul-Kubra Mosque in Islamabad, which killed 32 worshippers and injured more than 150 others during Friday prayers. Although responsibility was claimed by a group calling itself Islamic State Pakistan, the UN report assesses that the attack was most likely carried out by ISIL-K.
The group also claimed responsibility for the May 5 killing of Pakistani religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad Idris in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The report concludes that Pakistan is facing an increasingly complex terrorist threat, with ideological, operational and logistical cooperation among multiple militant organisations creating broader regional security challenges.
