Kabul and terror nexus

UN says TTP enjoys free rein in Afghanistan, deepening Pakistan’s security crisis

The United Nations has once again indicted the Taliban regime for harbouring terrorists, and looking the other way as these nefarious entities play havoc with regional peace. The 37th report of the UNSC's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, covering the period between July and December 2025, was of the view that the TTP enjoys preferential treatment among terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, and have unhindered access to state resources and political maneuvering. Likewise, Al-Qaeda, ISKP and other terror groups are well-entrenched in the Southwest Asian state and could potentially result in extra-regional threats.

The report also went on to note that out of the more than 3,500 terrorist attacks attributed to the TTP, over 2,100 were recorded in the second half of the outgoing year, with Pakistan being the prime victim. That only goes on to substantiate Pakistan's concerns and finger-pointing at the reclusive regime. The TTP has presence in multiple Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan, and possesses the ability to plan and execute insurgencies inside Pakistan too. An apt example is the revulsion in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that are on the edge due to foreign actors as well as their local socio-political abettors.

The world body also mentioned the bigger operational space available to the TTP as against other militant groups, and linked this disparity to a sharp deterioration in Pakistan's security situation. Last but not least, there is collaboration at work between TTP and Al-Qaeda, as the latter broadly acts as a 'service provider' and recruiter of manpower for militancy right under the nose of Afghan authorities. This is acting as a precursor for wider attacks on a broad canvas of death and destruction.

The fact that these terror bunkers have survived years of counterterrorism measures is an enigma in itself. It confirms that there is state patronage for these elements. As Kabul plays the politico-religious card while pampering them, it makes the equation horrendous. Kabul must exhibit state-centrism in exterminating them with the support of the world community for its own long-term survival.