Bajaur – During the recent peace talks held in Bajaur with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan TTP leaders, a statement from a TTP Jirga member stirred a debate regarding the capabilities of TTP. In the video, reported as the last speech of a TTP Jirga member, he can be seen stating that, post to the United States withdrawal, the TTP acquired such weapons that outclassed Pakistani security forces.

Reports of the US Weaponry left behind in Afghanistan

The resurgence of the TTP after 2021’s US withdrawal from Afghanistan is directly linked to the acquisition of advanced US weaponry. This revival is closely associated with the procurement of advanced weapons. A Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report and the 35th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the United Nations Security Council confirmed that a large amount of military equipment provided by the US was abandoned in Afghanistan.

According to these reports, weapons, including the M16 rifles, M4 carbines, and enhanced night-vision goggles, ended up either in the hands of the

Afghan Taliban or were sold on the black market, where the TTP acquired them.  This has provided a great tactical boost to the TTP, especially in night operations and border raids across the border in their supposed sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Emergence of the TTP

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a formal force that appeared in December 2007, was a direct reaction to the military campaigns on the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan. It was a coalition of almost 40 militant groups led by Baitullah Mehsud, who united different groups under one umbrella. The formation of the group was inspired by a common rejection of the Pakistani state that they perceived as an ally of the United States.

The militant organization is responsible for suicide bombings throughout the nation and creates a violent insurgency to overthrow the government and implement its extreme version of Islamic law. Although ideologically similar to the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is an independent and distinct group, whose targets are primarily within Pakistan.

Recent Rise in Attacks by TTP in KP

The consequences of this are being experienced most keenly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where there has been a marked rise in the number and lethality of TTP attacks against security checkpoints and military personnel. TTP has also grown its network, deploying its newfound leverage to conduct more advanced operations and entrench itself in the region.

In July 2023, four officers were killed when suicide bombers attacked a police compound in Bara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This was followed by another suicide assault in the Jani Khel region of the Bannu district in August 2023 that killed nine soldiers.

The attacks in 2024 and 2025 grew bold, targeting military installations in Bannu and a retaliatory attack on a Pakistani military post in Dera Ismail Khan in October 2024.

In the most recent incident on July 2, 2025, Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail and four others were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack along the roadside of Lowi Mamund, in Bajaur.

This event led to the deployment of Operation Sarbakaf as a counter terrorism effort by Pakistan security forces. At the same time, Pakistan has been involved in diplomatic efforts, urging the transitional Afghan government several times to decisively respond to the TTP operating on its territory. Yet, Kabul has either denied the group’s sanctuary within its borders or downplayed its activities, creating a persistent point of friction between the two neighbors.

With the collapse of recent peace talks in Bajaur and the visible increase in cross-border violence, Islamabad’s calls for action are likely to grow louder, but the reality remains that the TTP threat is a shared problem, one that can only be dismantled through genuine cooperation from both sides of the border.