Pak claims Afghan nationals involved in 70 per cent attacks carried out by TTP

Islamabad, Sep 23 (PTI) Pakistani authorities have claimed that 70 per cent of terrorists involved in recent attacks carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were Afghan nationals, a steep rise from the 5-10 per cent recorded in earlier years, according to a media report.

Pakistan's special representative on Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq, made the claim at a recent closed-door meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Afghanistan held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources.

The disclosure led the Iranian representative to share his perspective, revealing that his country, too, was facing a similar problem. The Iranian representative, according to the sources, cited an attack on Chabahar port, where out of 18 attackers, 16 were Afghan nationals.

The increased involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist attacks has set alarm bells ringing in Islamabad, where officials now see the growing Afghan footprint in cross-border terrorism as a new and dangerous trend.

According to the sources, the increased percentage underscores the Taliban government's failure or unwillingness to curb the use of Afghan soil by the TTP against Pakistan. Officials fear that the development could further strain the already uneasy ties between Islamabad and Kabul.

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to the TTP leaders and fighters, who regrouped across the border after Pakistan's military operations in the former tribal areas. While the Taliban have publicly denied giving the group a free hand, Islamabad insists that the TTP safe havens in Afghanistan remain intact.

Tensions worsened in recent weeks after a string of deadly attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which Pakistan directly linked to militants operating from Afghanistan.

In a sign of growing concern, Pakistan is now stepping up diplomatic engagement with regional stakeholders to mount pressure on the Taliban regime.

Citing sources, the paper said that Sadiq will soon travel to Tehran and Moscow to discuss the matter.

The outreach reflects Islamabad's strategy of seeking a broader regional consensus to push the Taliban into acting decisively against the TTP. Both Iran and Russia, like Pakistan, remain wary of extremist groups exploiting Afghanistan's fragile security landscape, the paper said.

For Pakistan, the rising involvement of Afghan nationals in TTP attacks is a troubling escalation that not only complicates border security but also raises questions about Kabul's commitments. Officials believe that unless the Taliban take tangible steps, the trend could spiral into a major flashpoint in bilateral relations, it added. PTI SH ZH ZH