Daily Times

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has regained its strength in recent years, and is responsible for a plethora of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. In the past the TTP has attacked both military and civilian targets in a string of blatant attacks, leaving a path of devastation and suffering in their wake.

The group’s vicious tactics, which range from suicide bombs to targeted killings, have taken the lives of numerous innocent foreigners and Pakistanis, including Chinese engineers employed on infrastructure projects. On July 15, 2024, eight soldiers lost their lives and numerous more were injured in a horrific attack on a military compound in Bannu, Pakistan.

According to ISPR, this heinous act of terrorism was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates from Afghanistan and has exploited Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan in the past as well.

The timing of the audio leak demonstrates the group’s steadfast determination to carry out operations against targets in Pakistan.

TTP operates on a large scale in Afghanistan and carries out terror activities in Pakistan with the full cooperation of Afghan Taliban and other terrorist outfits.

This recent attack shows that the TTP has established a safe haven on the other side of the border. A recent UN Security Council monitoring report that named the TTP as the biggest terrorist organisation active in Afghanistan lends credence to this claim

The U.N. report claims that the TTP has progressively increased the number of strikes against Pakistan, from 573 in 2021 to 1,203 in 2023, and that this trend continues in 2024.

The TTP, frequently using Afghan nationals as their execution force has increased the intensity of its cross-border strikes in Pakistan. Based in Afghanistan, the TTP is thought to have between 6,000 and 6,500 fighters, posing a serious danger to Pakistan’s security.

Since the violence in the region is getting worse, the US and other members of the international community have pushed the Taliban to combat the terrorist threats that originate there.

In response to the Bannu attack, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of Afghanistan to express its concerns.

Pakistan has continuously voiced its concerns to the Interim Afghan Government, requesting to act decisively against terrorist organisations that use Afghan territory as a launching pad for strikes into Pakistan.

An audio call of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Noor Wali Mehsud was leaked, in which he gives clear orders to his supporters to intensify assaults within Pakistan. With a clear intention to escalate bloodshed, Mehsud called on his militants to concentrate on causing turmoil and instability within the country.

The timing of the audio leak is particularly concerning because it demonstrates the group’s steadfast determination to carry out operations against targets in Pakistan. However, the people of Pakistan maintain a strong faith in Pakistan’s armed forces to safeguard the country and its citizens from the threat of terrorism and to take all necessary measures to counter these threats, which are believed to originate in Afghanistan.

The writer is a freelance Content Writer and Columnist and can be reached at rakhshandamehtab@gmail.com