Opinion

Afghanistan’s Unresolved Militant Threat: When Assurances Are No Longer Enough

Opinion /

Shamim Shahid The most worrying development may not be another diplomatic statement or another exchange of accusations. It may be the growing frustration among ordinary people whose livelihoods depend upon the border. According to the information discussed in the interview, traders, transporters and laborers working around the border have begun expressing disappointment and, in some

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Pakistan, Afghanistan, Balochistan, Gulf War, Pakistan's War on Terror and Afghan Taliban's Double Game

Afghanistan, Balochistan and the Gulf: Pakistan Faces a Wider Security Challenge

Opinion /

Pakistan’s security challenge can no longer be understood only through attacks taking place in remote tribal districts or along the country’s western frontier. Terrorism remains deeply rooted in some of the most affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, but the recent incidents show that the threat can also reach major urban centers such as

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Pakistan’s Security, Taliban Power Struggle, Sirajuddin Haqqani vs Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada

Taliban Power Struggle, Pakistan’s Security and the Haqqani Question

Opinion /

Pakistan’s security situation remains serious, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, the nature of the challenge is different in the two provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security forces have considerable control over many of the areas where terrorist activity takes place. The difficult terrain and scattered settlements of the former tribal areas create challenges, but

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Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda-TTP-BLA Nexus, Afghan Territory, Pakistan Fight against Terrorism and Afghan Soil, Pakistan's War on Terror and India-Backed Afghan Taliban's Double Game

Al-Qaeda’s Afghan Resurgence and the Growing Terror Threat to Pakistan

Opinion /

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is an important moment to reassess the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and the wider terrorist ecosystem that has developed in Afghanistan. The organization may no longer possess the same capabilities it had in 2001, but that does not mean the threat has disappeared. Its ability to maintain networks, cooperate with

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Al-Qaeda, Action Against Terrorism and Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule, Operation Ghazab Lil Haqq and Pakistan's War on Terror, Afghan Taliban and Cross-Border Terrorism, Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule

Al-Qaeda Camps in Afghanistan Could Revive a Threat Pakistan Has Faced for Decades

Opinion /

The recent report about Al-Qaeda’s re-emergence in Afghanistan, including the reported establishment of training camps, is a significant development that cannot be dismissed as a return to the past. Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the continued presence and possible regeneration of Al-Qaeda-linked networks in Afghanistan raises serious questions about the commitments made

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The Next 9/11 Is Not the Real Threat, What’s Building in Afghanistan Could Be Far More Dangerous

Opinion /

Aqeel Yousafzai The security situation surrounding Afghanistan is beginning to resemble a warning that the international community has heard before but perhaps has not yet fully understood. More than two decades after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the fundamental question confronting Pakistan, Afghanistan and the wider international community is no longer simply whether terrorism

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The Hidden Terror Network: How a Deadly Peshawar Plot Was Stopped Before It Could Strike

Opinion /

Arshad Aziz Malik The killing of a key militant figure in Peshawar has brought to light a disturbing picture of a terrorist network that was allegedly preparing for another wave of attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The man, identified as Imran alias Abu Bakr, was reportedly wanted in around 20 cases and had a government-announced reward of Rs1.2 million for his capture. His death during a counter-terrorism operation could now provide investigators with an important opportunity to trace the wider network

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25 Years After 9/11: The War America Won, the Afghanistan It Lost and the Pakistan That Paid the Price

Opinion /

Brig. (R) Mahmood Shah Few events in modern history have altered the political and security landscape of an entire region as profoundly as the attacks of September 11, 2001. What began that morning as an unprecedented assault on the United States quickly became a global conflict, drawing Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, the Middle East and

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From TTP to BLA, Al-Qaeda’s Regional Network Is Growing More Sophisticated

Opinion /

For years, the world has been told that Al-Qaeda was dismantled, weakened and pushed into the shadows. I do not believe that assessment reflects the reality we are witnessing today. Al-Qaeda may no longer operate exactly as it did two decades ago, but its network has not disappeared. It has changed its methods, expanded its

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Taliban, Afghan Taliban, U.S. Weapons Abandoned in Afghanistan, Afghan Women and Afghan Girls, Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule

Afghanistan Needs Investment and Education, Taliban Policies Are Driving Both Away

Opinion /

The relationship between the Afghan Taliban and the United States may appear hostile on the surface, but when we look closely, it is clear that some matters continue behind the scenes. The recent developments surrounding Afghanistan’s demand for American investment and the question of US weapons left behind after the withdrawal show that the relationship

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