Pakistani authorities have determined that nearly 70 percent of militants involved in the recent wave of attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were Afghan nationals, a significant increase from the five to ten percent recorded in previous years.
According to official sources, this startling revelation was disclosed by Pakistan’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, during a closed-door session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on Afghanistan, held recently in Dushanbe.
Following Ambassador Sadiq’s remarks, the Iranian representative also raised similar concerns, citing the example of the attack on Chabahar port in which 16 out of 18 assailants were Afghan citizens. The growing involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist incidents has set alarm bells ringing in Islamabad, with officials now viewing it as a dangerous new trend in cross-border militancy.
Sources noted that this development underscores either the failure or unwillingness of the Taliban government to curb the use of Afghan soil by the TTP for attacks against Pakistan. Officials fear the situation could further strain Islamabad’s already uneasy ties with Kabul.
Although the Taliban have denied granting the TTP freedom of operation, Pakistan maintains that the group continues to enjoy safe havens inside Afghanistan. The recent surge in deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has heightened tensions, with Islamabad directly linking the violence to militants operating from across the border. In response, Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic engagement with regional stakeholders to increase pressure on the Taliban administration.
Sources confirmed that Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq will soon travel to Tehran and Moscow to discuss the matter. This outreach reflects Islamabad’s broader strategy of building regional consensus to compel the Taliban to take decisive action against the TTP.
Like Pakistan, both Iran and Russia remain wary of militant groups seeking to exploit Afghanistan’s fragile security landscape, making the issue a shared regional concern.
