Daily Times

In recent days, terrorists hiding in Afghanistan have launched attacks in Pakistan’s border areas, attempting to inflict damage on the Pakistan Army. However, prompt responses and counter-actions by the armed forces have thwarted any major harm.

The Chief of Pakistan’s Armed Forces has explicitly stated that terrorism emanating from the soil of a neighboring country will not be tolerated.

Army Chief General Asim Munir emphasized that acts of terrorism carried out by Afghan nationals in Pakistan are unacceptable, and Pakistan’s security forces will respond effectively to such attacks. Expressing serious concerns over the safe havens of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, General Asim Munir urged the Afghan government to ensure that its territory is not used by terrorists. He also called upon the Afghan interim government to honor the Doha Agreement.

Director-General of ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, clearly stated that Afghanistan should not prioritize terrorists over Pakistan. He revealed that Pakistan’s security forces conducted a total of 59,775 operations this year, during which 925 terrorists, including foreign elements, were eliminated. These intelligence-based operations also led to the recovery of weapons and ammunition from terrorist possession.

The DG ISPR reiterated that the campaign against enemy terrorists will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated, ensuring the security of Pakistan’s borders and citizens. He mentioned that 27 Afghan terrorists were also killed during these operations.

The Chief of Pakistan’s Armed Forces has explicitly stated that terrorism emanating from the soil of a neighboring country will not be tolerated.

Furthermore, he shared that the army, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and police are conducting more than 179 operations daily. He cautioned Afghan officials not to prioritize foreign terrorists over Pakistan, highlighting that the life and safety of a single Pakistani citizen take precedence over Afghanistan. “We’ve repeatedly urged them to control these terrorists. If they don’t, should we just sit and watch?”

To understand why the DG ISPR had to make such statements and who these TTP terrorists hiding in Afghanistan are, we need to look at the past. Since the TTP is often referred to as the Afghan Taliban’s “B-Team,” a cordial relationship still exists between the Afghan government and the TTP, allowing these militants to maintain their bases in Afghanistan. In fact, after the Afghan Taliban’s rise to power, these elements have grown stronger.

After the TTP was formed in 2007 under Baitullah Mehsud, a wave of terrorism began in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which gradually spread to other parts of Pakistan. As a result of Pakistan Army’s counterterrorism operations, TTP militants fled from Pakistan’s tribal areas and established bases across the border in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, has claimed that Afghanistan’s territory is not being used for actions against any country, including Pakistan, and that no TTP sanctuaries exist in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, Zabihullah Mujahid’s statements contradict the ground realities. Recent incidents in Pakistan have direct links to Afghanistan, prompting Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif to urge Afghanistan to act as a brotherly Islamic country.

On January 30 last year, the TTP attacked the police headquarters in Peshawar, killing over 80 people. This attack was claimed by Sarbakaf Mohmand, associated with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Later this year, on February 17, the TTP targeted a compound in Karachi’s financial hub, where the Sindh Police Chief’s office is located. This attack killed four to five security personnel and a civilian. A family member of one of the attackers revealed that he had gone to Afghanistan for training five months earlier. Investigations into both attacks revealed that the perpetrators were either trained in Afghanistan or had links to the country.

The mastermind behind the Army Public School attack, Umar Khalid Khurasani, was killed near the Barmal district in a roadside bombing along with Mufti Hassan and Hafiz Daulat Khan in eastern Paktika. Zabihullah Mujahid’s claims that TTP has no presence in Afghanistan are further questioned because their operatives are consistently targeted within Afghan territory.

Multiple TTP training camps openly operate on Afghan soil without any resistance or pressure. They organize large gatherings and train Afghans and others to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. Following the martyrdom of 16 soldiers in Waziristan, Pakistan targeted TTP safe havens in Afghanistan, specifically the culprits involved in the incident.

These facts clearly indicate that the TTP enjoys substantial support from the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban must intensify actions against the TTP; otherwise, Pakistan will take any necessary steps to defend itself.

The Pakistani Army Chief has firmly stated that if Afghanistan’s government fails to target TTP sanctuaries, Pakistan will be forced to take stern action.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.