TTP Attacks Escalate Post-Taliban Takeover, Pakistan Rejects Afghan Claims

Kabul – Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan’s military circles of falsely attributing the country’s internal insecurity and the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Mujahid claimed that both insecurity and the TTP have existed since 2002 in a statement on Saturday and argued that the root cause lies in what he called the “wrongful policies of the Pakistani military,” which allied with the United States and allowed American forces to conduct operations in Waziristan and tribal areas.

Analysts and officials in Pakistan reject these claims, emphasizing that they overlook the dramatic escalation in cross-border terrorism following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. While the TTP first emerged in 2007, major military operations such as Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad had significantly weakened the group, leading to a multi-year decline in terrorist activity. Security statistics from 2021 onwards, however, reveal a sharp increase in violence, with Pakistan recording 207 terrorist attacks in 2021, 262 in 2022, 306 in 2023, and a surge to 1,099 attacks in 2024.

Pakistan has identified 58 terrorist camps, staging posts, and lodging facilities operated by the TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) inside Afghanistan, reportedly with the knowledge of Kabul authorities. In 2025, infiltration from Afghanistan increased sharply, with 172 tashkeels, involving around 4,000 militants, entering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, marking significant rises in both groups and fighters. In Balochistan, 83 tashkeels, or roughly 1,200 militants, infiltrated from provinces including Zabul, Paktika, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimroz. Between April and September 2025, Pakistani security forces neutralized 135 Afghan nationals in KP and Balochistan, bringing the total number of identified and killed Afghan militants to 267. Afghan nationals also conducted suicide attacks across Peshawar, Bannu, Besham, Mir Ali, and Dera Ismail Khan from 2022 to 2025, causing dozens of casualties.

Security analysts stress that the resurgence of the TTP and the rising toll of cross-border terrorism are directly linked to the safe havens and operational support that these groups continue to receive inside Afghanistan. They argue that the TTP’s presence is not the result of Pakistan’s policies, as claimed by Mujahid, but rather a consequence of Afghanistan failing to dismantle militant networks. “The claim that the TTP’s existence is Pakistan’s responsibility is absurd,” said a senior analyst. “Cross-border terrorism has surged since 2021, and Afghanistan must take accountability for allowing these groups to operate from its soil. Pakistan continues to defend its sovereignty and its citizens while urging Kabul to dismantle this terrorist infrastructure.”

Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban to fulfill commitments under international agreements, prevent Afghan territory from being used to launch attacks against Pakistan, and take decisive action against the growing wave of militancy spilling over the border.

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