TTP largest terrorist outfit in Afghanistan: UN

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations monitoring report has said that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is now the largest terrorist group in Afghanistan, which receives substantial support from the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda factions.

The UN’s 15th report of the ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda/Taliban monitoring team report submitted to the UN Security Council said that the TTP has benefited from increased operational and logistical backing from the Afghan Taliban.

The report indicated that there are between 6,000 to 6,500 TTP fighters currently living in Afghanistan.

It said that the Afghan Taliban, either unable or unwilling to eliminate the TTP threat, do not classify the TTP as a terrorist organisation. The two groups maintain close relations, with TTP members conducting terrorist activities from Afghanistan into Pakistan, it said.

Additionally, TTP operatives utilise Afghan territory to train and plan attacks against Pakistan, often in collaboration with al-Qaeda, the report said.

The monitoring group noted a rise in the number of attacks carried out by the TTP against Pakistan. TTP operatives receive training in al-Qaeda camps alongside local fighters, and the increasing support from al-Qaeda enhances the TTP’s capabilities, posing a significant threat to regional security, it said.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly called on the interim Afghan government to prevent TTP terrorists from using Afghan soil for operations against Pakistan and to hand over TTP terrorists.

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Despite these demands, the Taliban government has not taken effective action to stop TTP activities against Pakistan.

The report underscores the growing threat of the TTP in Afghanistan and highlights the complex dynamics and challenges in addressing terrorism in the region.