The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has intensified its attacks in Pakistan, continues to receive financial and logistical support from Kabul, according to a recent United Nations (UN) report. Despite repeated calls from Islamabad for Afghanistan to curb the group’s activities, the report highlights ongoing assistance to the TTP.
This revelation was included in the 35th report of the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 6, and submitted to the UN Security Council. The expert panel, tasked with overseeing sanctions on individuals and entities linked to militant organizations, releases biannual reports assessing global security threats to guide international policies.
Covering the period from July 1, 2024, to December 13, 2024, the report stated that the TTP’s presence and strength in Afghanistan remained unchanged. Pakistani authorities estimate that the group has approximately 10,000 fighters. However, the scale of attacks on Pakistan has escalated significantly, with over 600 incidents reported, some originating from Afghan territory.
The UN report further noted that the Taliban continued to provide the TTP with operational space, logistics, and financial support. One UN member state reported that the family of TTP leader Noor Wali Masoud was receiving a monthly payment of 3 million Afghanis (around $43,000).
This comes at a time when Pakistan is grappling with a surge in militancy, particularly in its western regions, following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the TTP and Islamabad in November 2022. The TTP and other militant factions have increasingly targeted security forces, government officials, and law enforcement personnel through ambushes, kidnappings, and assassinations. In 2023, the Pakistani military reported 383 soldier fatalities and 925 militant deaths in various clashes.
Although the TTP is distinct from the Afghan Taliban, Pakistani officials consider them allies. The Pakistani government asserts that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has emboldened TTP militants.
The UN report also highlighted growing collaboration between the TTP, the Afghan Taliban, and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. These groups have been operating under the banner of “Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan,” engaging in coordinated attacks. The increasing cooperation, particularly in recruiting suicide bombers and fighters and sharing ideological guidance, could potentially elevate the TTP into a broader regional threat, serving as an umbrella group for other terrorist organizations in the region.
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