KEY POINTS:
- Pakistan believes TTP uses Afghan soil for cross-border attacks.
- Pakistani forces recently killed dozens of TTP militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Two drone strikes reportedly killed three TTP members in Afghanistan.
- Pakistani ambassador to Kabul received formal demarche from Afghan government.
- Afghan authorities allege Pakistan carried out attacks, providing no evidence.
ISLAMABAD: In a stern and categorical message to Kabul, Pakistan has urged Afghanistan to ensure that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, based in Afghan territory, are either kept away from Pakistani soil or handed over to Islamabad, warning that “there is no third option.”
“Kabul must take decisive steps against these militant groups, as it is crucial for regional peace,” Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a press briefing here on Friday. Pakistan believes that TTP is using Afghan soil to carry out cross-border attacks.
His remarks came a day after Pakistani forces killed dozens of TTP militants in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along with two suspected drone strikes inside Afghanistan that reportedly killed three TTP members.
Their soil must not be used for terrorism, and Afghanistan must ensure that its territory is not used to launch attacks inside Pakistan, Dar added.
He also confirmed that the Pakistani ambassador to Kabul had been summoned by the Afghan government and was handed a formal demarche.
“It is too early to draw conclusions. The demarche was delivered last night. Nothing unusual, nothing alarming,” Dar stated without providing further details on the demarche.
While there was no official response from Islamabad regarding the Afghan accusations, Kabul alleged that Pakistan had carried out the attacks, violating Afghanistan’s territorial integrity. However, Afghan authorities did not provide any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the incident.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to prevent its territory from being used to stage attacks in Pakistan, asserting that it is fully capable of targeting militants responsible for such acts.
Dar has recently visited Kabul—once as the head of a Pakistani official delegation and again to attend a trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China.
Pakistan maintains that the TTP operates from Afghan territory, exploiting safe havens in eastern Afghan provinces to plan and execute attacks.
This evolving militant presence has raised serious concerns in Islamabad, complicating counterterrorism efforts and threatening regional stability.
Background:
The TTP’s reliance on Afghan territory for sanctuary is not new. Prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, Pakistani Taliban fighters would often cross into Afghanistan to escape military operations.
However, their movements were limited due to US-led drone strikes, which, coordinated with Pakistani intelligence, kept them on the defensive. As a result, TTP fighters were constantly on the move, unable to establish long-term bases. That changed when the Afghan Taliban came to power on August 15, 2021.
These regions, once hostile to the TTP, have reportedly become secure bases from which they regroup after carrying out attacks in Pakistan, according to a TTP commander who spoke to WE News English on condition of anonymity.
Pakistan has taken significant steps to secure its western border, including the construction of a 2,590-kilometre-long fence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. However, these efforts have not fully stopped militant movements, as insurgents continue to exploit gaps in the security barrier.
