Islamabad:
The Pakistani authorities have determined that 70% of the terrorists involved in recent attacks by TTP of Tehreek-E-Taliban (TTP) prohibited were Afghan nationals, a strong increase compared to the 5 to 10% recorded in previous years, sources told L’Express Monday.
The surprising revelation was made by Pakistan’s special representative on the Afghan ambassador Muhammad Sadiq during a recent closed -door meeting of the Shanghai cooperation Organization (SCO) on Afghanistan held in Dushanbe, according to the sources familiar with development.
The disclosure led the Iranian representative to share his point of view, revealing that his country was also faced with a similar problem. The Iranian representative, according to sources, cited an attack on the port of Chabahar where out of 18 attackers, 16 were Afghan nationals.
The increased involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist attacks has enabled Islamabad alarm, where managers are now seeing the increasing Afghan footprint in cross -border terrorism as a new and dangerous trend.
According to sources, the percentage of increase underlines the failure or reluctance of the Taliban government to limit the use of Afghan soil by the TTP against Pakistan. The managers fear that development will be more uncomfortable between Islamabad and Kabul.
Pakistan has long accused Afghan Taliban of providing a sanctuary to the leaders and fighters of the TTP, who have gathered through the border after the military operations of Pakistan in the old tribal areas. While the Taliban publicly denied having given the group a free hand, Islamabad insists that TTP shelters in Afghanistan remain intact.
Tensions have worsened in recent weeks after a series of fatal attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which Pakistan has directly linked to activists operating in Afghanistan.
Diplomatic awareness
In a sign of increasing concern, Pakistan now intensifies diplomatic engagement with regional stakeholders to put pressure on the Taliban regime. Sources have confirmed that Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, will soon go to Tehran and Moscow to discuss the issue.
Awareness reflects Islamabad’s strategy to seek a wider regional consensus to push the Taliban to act decisively against the TTP. Iran and Russia, like Pakistan, remain suspicious of extremist groups exploiting the fragile security landscape of Afghanistan.
For Pakistan, the growing involvement of Afghan nationals in TTP attacks is a disturbing escalation that not only complicates border security but also raises questions about Kabul’s commitments. Authorities think that as long as the Taliban take tangible measures, the trend could turn into a major flash point in bilateral relations.
