KEY POINTS
- Drone attack in Afghanistan’s Paktika province killed 25 TTP terrorists
- Sources say a senior TTP commander is among the killed terrorists
- Pakistan has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent the use of Afghan soil for cross-border terrorism
- The UN warned that TTP receives support from Afghan Taliban
- Pakistan saw a 45% rise in terror-related deaths in 2024, with TTP responsible for 52% of deaths
- Pakistan’s UN envoy accused Kabul of being complicit in TTP attacks
News Desk
KABUL, Afghanistan: At least 25 terrorists were killed when a drone strike targeted a key centre of Ahmad Hussain, also known as Ghat Haji, a close aide of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, sources said on Sunday.
The drone strike also killed a senior TTP commander, sources said, adding that several of those killed were involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
The strike comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Pakistan, with attacks being carried out from across the Afghan border by TTP terrorists.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly raised concerns over the presence of TTP safe havens in Afghanistan, urging the Taliban authorities in Kabul to avoid the use of its territory for cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks attributed to the TTP since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
A United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, released in February 2025, highlighted that the TTP continues to receive logistical, operational, and financial support from the Afghan Taliban.
“The ambition and scale of TTP’s attacks on Pakistan had significantly increased, with over six hundred attacks during the reporting period, including from Afghan territory,” the UN report stated.
The report also revealed that the terrorist group had established new training camps in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika provinces, further enhancing recruitment and operational capabilities.
Furthermore, an increase in collaboration between the TTP, Afghan Taliban, and al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent has been observed, with coordinated attacks being conducted under the banner of Tehrik-e-Jihad-e-Pakistan, the UN report maintained.
“Greater facilitation among these groups, including the provision of suicide bombers and fighters, might transform the TTP into an extra-regional threat,” the UN report warned.
Pakistan’s concerns and diplomatic efforts
Pakistan has frequently urged Afghanistan’s interim authorities to take concrete steps to curb terrorism emanating from its soil.
The country shares a 2,500-kilometre border with Afghanistan, making border security a significant challenge.
Addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) on March 11, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, described the TTP as the largest terrorist organisation operating from Afghan soil, with an estimated 6,000 fighters.
“With safe havens close to our border, the TTP has conducted numerous attacks against Pakistan’s soldiers, civilians, and institutions, resulting in hundreds of casualties,” Ambassador Akram told the UN Security Council.
He further accused the Afghan authorities of being “complicit” in TTP’s cross-border attacks and facilitating other anti-Pakistan terrorist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Majeed Brigade, which have targeted Pakistan’s security personnel and infrastructure.
Rising threat of terrorism
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 report, Pakistan has become the second-most terrorism-affected country in the world.
The report noted a staggering 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, marking one of the steepest surges globally.
The number of terror attacks more than doubled, from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024—the highest recorded since the inception of the index.
The GTI report highlighted that the TTP was responsible for 52% of all terrorism-related fatalities in Pakistan. It also pointed to the group’s expanded operational freedom due to the security situation in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s security forces have stepped up counterterrorism operations. Earlier this month, security agencies arrested Mohammad Sharifullah alias Jafar, a Daesh-Khorasan operative, based on intelligence provided by the CIA.
He was handed over to the United States for his involvement in the 2021 Abbey Gate suicide attack at Kabul Airport, which killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US troops.
Call for international action
Pakistan has been advocating for stronger international action against terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Ambassador Akram criticised the lack of focus on terrorism in the UN Secretary-General’s report on Afghanistan, despite the presence of over two dozen terrorist organisations in the country.
“The Kabul authorities have failed to address the threat posed by groups such as al-Qaeda, the TTP, and Baloch terrorist outfits, including the BLA and Majeed Brigade, which are present in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Akram said at the UNSC session.
He also underscored the recovery of modern weapons, originally left behind by withdrawing foreign forces in Afghanistan, during counter-operations against the TTP.
Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on National Security recently reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating terrorism in all forms.
The committee declared that no institution, individual, or group acting in collusion with hostile elements would be allowed to undermine the country’s peace and stability.
