‘Irrefutable evidence’ links Afghan soil to terror attacks in Pakistan

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan is providing sanctuary, support and patronage to terrorist groups, Pakistani officials have said, adding that documented evidence contradicts Kabul’s repeated denials and points to an entrenched terrorist network operating from Afghan soil. According to security officials, the identities of 260 Afghan terrorists killed while carrying out attacks in Pakistan have been established, with records containing their names, addresses and family details. Officials said the figure did not include unidentified terrorists currently operating in Pakistan, suggesting that the documented fatalities represented only part of the involvement of Afghan nationals in cross-border terrorism. They also pointed to the funerals of Afghan terrorists killed in Pakistan, which were held in their hometowns with the participation of Taliban regime officials. “An administration that claims it has no connection with terrorists cannot explain why its officials attend the funerals of terrorists killed while attacking Pakistan,” one official said. Pakistan maintains that the terrorist nexus extends beyond the movement of terrorists across the border to their training, arming and operational support. Security officials estimate that up to 70 per cent of the Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists infiltrating Pakistan are of Afghan origin. They further claim that the Taliban regime has allowed leftover US and NATO weapons to reach terrorist groups, including Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan. Weapons and equipment recovered from militants include M4 assault rifles, Remington sniper rifles and night-vision devices, according to Pakistani officials. The security establishment has also linked the escalation in attacks to the presence of terrorist infrastructure inside Afghanistan. In 2026 alone, terrorism emanating from Afghan soil has claimed the lives of 1,327 Pakistanis and injured another 2,484, according to figures cited by Pakistani authorities. The United Nations has estimated the strength of TTP in Afghanistan at around 6,000 to 6,500 terrorists. UN reporting has also documented more than 600 terrorist attacks against Pakistan during 2025, including attacks launched from Afghan territory. According to Pakistani security officials, the TTP has established training facilities in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika provinces. Officials further alleged that personnel associated with the Afghan Taliban regime were also joining the terrorist group at some of these training centres, describing the development as evidence of an increasingly blurred line between elements of the Taliban regime and terrorist infrastructure. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban regime of failing to take action against militant sanctuaries despite being provided with information about their locations and activities. Officials said that whenever Pakistani forces targeted terrorist hideouts, the Taliban regime instead moved to defend the militants and their sanctuaries rather than dismantling the infrastructure. The issue, Pakistan argues, is not confined to TTP. UN assessments have continued to document the presence of several other militant organisations in Afghanistan, including al Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Islamic State-Khorasan, reinforcing concerns about the broader militant ecosystem operating from Afghan territory. Pakistani officials say the continued presence of these groups, combined with training facilities, cross-border infiltration and access to sophisticated weapons, demonstrates that Afghanistan remains an important base for terrorist activity affecting Pakistan. Islamabad has rejected Taliban assurances that Afghan territory will not be used against neighbouring countries, arguing that the ground situation and documented militant activity tell a different story. Pakistan's position, according to officials, remains that Kabul must take concrete steps to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries, eliminate training infrastructure, prevent cross-border infiltration and ensure that Afghan territory is not used for attacks against Pakistan. The government has maintained that the issue is fundamentally one of Pakistan's national security and that continued attacks from Afghan soil cannot be addressed through denials alone. Pakistan says it expects the Taliban regime to fulfil its commitments by taking verifiable action against terrorist groups operating from its territory rather than defending or denying their presence.