In yet another disturbing incident underscoring the growing threat emanating from across the western border, a group of Khawarij launched an attack late last night on a Pakistani security post near the Pak-Afghan border in the Tirah Valley of Khyber District. Swift retaliation by Pakistan’s security forces resulted in the killing of an afghan khariji; later identified as Junaidullah, son of Daulat Khan, an Afghan national, and injuries to another.
Security officials recovered a cache of items from the dead terrorist, including weapons, a laser device, a mobile phone, and most notably, an Afghan national identity card, further reinforcing Pakistan’s longstanding concerns regarding cross-border infiltration and safe havens granted to militants on Afghan soil.
This brazen attack once again shines a spotlight on Afghanistan’s role as a facilitator and enabler of the Khawarij, terrorists affiliated with the banned Teheek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have increasingly used Afghan territory as a launchpad for attacks on Pakistan. Despite repeated assurances from the Kabul interim regime that Afghan land would not be used against any country, particularly its neighbours, the ground reality tells a very different story.
Just yesterday, credible reports emerged that TTP terrorists were received with garlands and celebration by Taliban commanders in Afghanistan after returning from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. This grotesque display of open support not only shatters any illusions about the Afghan Taliban’s “neutrality” but also raises serious questions about the regime’s complicity in sponsoring terrorism against a fellow Muslim country.
Pakistan has consistently accused the Afghan Taliban of turning a blind eye to; or worse, actively supporting, groups like the TTP, IS-KP, and other Khawarij elements that operate freely in eastern Afghanistan. The lack of meaningful action against these militants poses an escalating threat to Pakistan’s internal security and undermines regional peace.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, in his address to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), warned of the serious risks posed by terror groups operating from Afghan soil. He called for joint and coordinated efforts to neutralise these threats, emphasising that foreign terrorist organisations entrenched in Afghanistan are a direct threat to regional stability.
Over the past two years, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp surge in terrorist incidents, with intelligence consistently tracing the origins of most attacks back to Afghanistan, as well as finding out that Afghan militants are involved in 70 percent of recent TTP attacks in Pakistan. If the Kabul regime continues its policy of appeasement; or active patronage, of the Khawarij, cross-border clashes may become more frequent, and the already fragile relations between the two neighbours could deteriorate further.
Despite Pakistan’s repeated diplomatic engagements and warnings, the Afghan interim government has failed to deliver on its commitments, raising serious doubts about its credibility as a responsible actor in the region. The time has come for the international community, particularly Muslim nations, to hold Kabul accountable for its duplicitous conduct and demand immediate action against TTP and other terrorist networks operating with impunity within Afghan borders.
