ISLAMABAD: A United Nations report has revealed that the Afghan Taliban continue to provide logistical support, operational space, and financial assistance to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), contributing to a rise in terrorist attacks in neighbouring Pakistan.
The report, submitted to the UN Security Council by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, states that the status and strength of TTP in Afghanistan remain unchanged, while its attacks on Pakistan have significantly increased.
The report states the “status and strength of TTP in Afghanistan had not changed”, while the terror group intensified its assaults on Pakistan. More than 600 attacks were recorded in 2024, including cross-border assaults launched from Afghan territory.
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team is a panel of independent experts established by the UN Security Council to support sanctions implementation against individuals and entities linked to Al Qaeda, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Daesh) and associated groups.
Afghan Taliban’s financial support to TTP
The report, covering the period from July 1 to December 13, 2024, states that the Afghan Taliban provide the banned terror group leader Noor Wali Masoud with a monthly payment of 3 million Afghanis (approximately $43,000), reflecting a significant level of financial backing for the terrorist group.
The TTP has also expanded its training infrastructure, establishing new centres in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika (Barmal) provinces. The terror group has intensified its recruitment efforts, drawing in fighters from the Afghan Taliban.
The expansion has contributed to TTP’s continued status as the largest Afghanistan-based terrorist organisation, with an estimated 6,000 to 6,500 fighters. The group’s growing influence is linked to the Afghan Taliban’s continued ideological and historical ties with TTP.
Furthermore, the report highlights TTP’s growing ties with the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), conducting joint attacks under the banner of Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP).
Regional threat
The report warns that this collaboration, combined with TTP’s role in supplying suicide bombers and fighters, could transform the terror group into a broader regional threat and an umbrella organisation for other militant groups in the region.
The UN report states these developments, highlighting that the Afghan Taliban’s support has enabled TTP to escalate its offensive strategy against Pakistan. The report stated, “The ambition and scale of its (TTP) attacks on Pakistan… had significantly increased.”
Pakistan’s security forces operations
The UN report also details a significant setback for Daesh-Khurasan in the summer when Pakistani security forces successfully intercepted an attempt by its external operations branch to establish itself within Pakistan.
The operation led to the arrests of key figures, including Adil Panjsheri (Afghan), Abu Munzir (Tajik), and Kaka Younis (Uzbek), who were involved in recruiting, funding, and facilitating the travel of fighters and suicide bombers. These individuals were linked to attacks in Kerman, Iran, and Moscow.
However, the report states that another senior Daesh-K member, Tariq Tajiki, suspected to be the mastermind behind the Kerman attack, remains in Afghanistan, according to one UN member state.
To avoid detection and minimise the risk of arrests, Daesh-K’s leadership has reportedly shifted from electronic and internet-based communications to traditional courier networks for delivering instructions and conducting in-person meetings.
Terror attacks in Balochistan
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for multiple high-casualty attacks during the reporting period, carried out by its Majeed Brigade (MB), which includes female members.
The group operates across the southern region of Pakistan, including Awaran, Panjgur, and Dalbandin. Two UN member states reported that the Majeed Brigade has links with TTP, Daesh-K, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)/Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), with operational bases in Afghanistan.
UN Report February 2025Jamaat Ansarullah has also been active, maintaining training camps in Khost province of Afghanistan, where Al-Qaida engineers and weapons instructors provide training. The group operates a special military centre in the Kalafgan district of Takhar province to train fighters. It has also formed the “Ansar” unit in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province, tasked with infiltrating border areas, the UN report states.
Suicide bomber unit in Afghanistan
According to the report, the Taliban have deployed a suicide bomber unit from the Lashkar-e-Mansouri Martyrdom Battalion in Fayz Abad, Badakhshan province, in coordination with Jamaat Ansarullah and Al-Qaida fighters, using them in operations against anti-Taliban resistance groups.
The findings highlight the continued collaboration between multiple militant groups in the region and the growing threat posed by their coordinated activities. The report underscores the complex and evolving security landscape in South Asia, with significant implications for regional stability.
Terrorist attacks remain rampant in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which share a border with Afghanistan. Terrorists target especially the law enforcers and security forces.
Pakistan’s efforts for peace
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Afghanistan not to allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorist groups to carry out attacks against Pakistan.
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Last week, Pakistan’s security forces eliminated at least 15 terrorists, including Afghan Taliban members, in a swift and effective response to an attempted infiltration.
Meanwhile, Pakistan also pursued diplomatic engagements, sending delegations to Kabul to urge the Afghan Taliban to take action against TTP sanctuaries. However, the Afghan authorities remained reluctant, proposing mediation rather than decisive measures, leading to a diplomatic impasse.
Pakistan witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in January 2025, with incidents increasing by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
January saw two suicide bombings, both in Balochistan, one of the most affected regions alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The banned TTP claimed responsibility for one attack, while the proscribed BLA took credit for the other.
