The Afghan paradox

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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued its 35th report of Analytical Support to Sanctions Monitoring Team on February 12th 2025. The investigation's results presented overwhelming evidence of the Afghan Taliban's (TTA) increasing support to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) through logistical assistance and operational backing as well as financial aid. The report exposed a disturbing fact that TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud receives three million Afghanis ($43,000) monthly from the Taliban which Pakistan had previously warned about. The document emphasises how Afghanistan has turned into an essential base for transnational terrorism operations which creates deep security risks for the region.

The Taliban provide monthly financial support to TTP which creates a strategic contradiction. The group's worldwide attempt to establish legitimacy through its actions demonstrates that terrorist factions receive higher priority than responsible governance from its leadership. The UNSC report confirms Pakistan's assessment of rising TTP capabilities and the Taliban's inability to conduct Afghanistan as a state with proper governance practices.

The Taliban show their true intentions by refusing to control TTP operations because they want to preserve their influence in Pakistan's tribal areas alongside using TTP as a counterweight against Kabul's pressure from Islamabad. The TTP has employed this policy toward the escalation of its insurgency against Pakistan which resulted in 600 terrorist attacks in six months.

According to the report, Afghanistan provides refuge to more than 20 terrorist organisations which include Al-Qaeda, ISIS-K, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). These terrorist organisations endanger both their bordering states such as Pakistan, China, Iran and Central Asian states while creating threats to worldwide security.

One of the report's discoveries is that ISIS militants have infiltrated the Afghan Taliban's military ranks. Extremist movements thrive in Afghanistan due to weak governance institutions, a fragile economy and the Taliban's reluctance to act upon these, raising doubts about Afghanistan's stability.

TTP continues to grow as an organisation through the Taliban's backing, demonstrated by the increasing numbers of cross-border terrorist attacks against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan regions. New TTP training camps, established in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika provinces, demonstrate that Afghanistan serves as an operational base for terrorists conducting attacks across borders.

The conclusions presented in the UNSC report should create an immediate global response. The Taliban's failure to disconnect from terrorist organisations represents a substantial global threat which might result in intensified insurgencies in neighbouring countries and worldwide.

China and Iran together with Russia and the Central Asian republics need to reevaluate their diplomatic relations with the Taliban movement. The UN and other international organisations must impose stricter measures to ensure Afghanistan does not revert to its pre-9/11 status as a global terrorist haven. Financial sanctions, enhanced monitoring mechanisms and diplomatic pressure should be considered to compel the Taliban to sever ties with terrorist organisations.

The Afghan paradox lies in the Taliban's contradictory posture - seeking legitimacy while harbouring terrorist factions. The UNSC report solidifies that Afghanistan under Taliban is far from the stable entity it claims to be. Instead, it is a volatile, terror-infested landscape where groups like TTP, Al-Qaeda and ISIS thrive under state patronage. The international community must recognise that inaction today will only encourage terrorist elements further. The time for passive diplomacy is over; firm and decisive action is needed before Afghanistan's instability spills over into a larger global crisis.