Pakistan’s security forces have once again delivered a decisive blow to militants operating along the Afghan border, exposing the Afghan Taliban’s continuing duplicity. Despite mounting evidence, the Taliban persist in levelling baseless accusations against Pakistan, even as their own nationals cross into the country to join proscribed terrorist groups.
In a recent intelligence-based operation in Bajaur, Pakistani forces eliminated Muhammad Bilal, also known as Abu Bakr Mahajir Kochai, an Afghan militant affiliated with the banned group Karwan-e-Saif-ul-Umar. Kochai, a native of Qarabagh, a suburb of Kabul, had previously been active in Lower Dir before being sent to Bajaur for sabotage operations. He was also active on social media, regularly sharing propaganda videos, underscoring his operational and ideological involvement in militant activities.
This operation highlights a recurring pattern: Afghan nationals joining terrorist organizations and carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. Earlier, Pakistani security forces neutralised Sajjad, also known as Abu Zar, from Peer Bagh in Paktia, Afghanistan, who had joined the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Alongside him, other commanders, including Khubaib Afghani, were eliminated during coordinated operations in Bajaur. These successive incidents demonstrate the Afghan Taliban’s duplicity: while publicly accusing Pakistan of supporting militants, their own citizens cross borders to actively participate in terrorism on Pakistani soil.
Funeral gatherings for these militants reveal the cross-border support network at play. Abu Zar’s condolences were observed in Pir Bagh, Afghanistan, while Kochai’s activities were tracked online, reflecting the transnational nature of these networks. The Taliban’s repeated failure to acknowledge this reality highlights their selective narrative and persistent hypocrisy.
According to conservative estimates, nearly 300 Afghan militants have been killed by Pakistan’s security forces this year alone. Three hundred bodies would form a small hill, yet the Afghan Taliban remain blind to this mounting evidence. Instead of confronting these facts, they continue to shift blame onto Pakistan, demonstrating a pattern of denial and deflection.
The Bajaur operations are part of Pakistan’s broader counter-terrorism strategy along its western border. Security forces continue to dismantle militant networks, neutralise key commanders, and uncover the supply chains of explosives, arms, and other resources used in terrorist attacks. The cases of Kochai, Abu Zar, and other Afghan militants make it abundantly clear: Afghan-based terrorists, often tacitly supported by the Taliban, remain a persistent threat to Pakistan’s security.
These incidents also expose the Afghan Taliban’s deep-rooted agenda against Pakistan. Their continued denials and blame-shifting reveal a regime unwilling to take responsibility for the actions of its citizens, even as evidence mounts against them. Pakistan’s decisive operations in Bajaur and beyond demonstrate not only the effectiveness of its counter-terrorism measures but also the lengths to which the Afghan Taliban will go to misrepresent reality.
