Well, well, well. If there was ever any doubt about Afghanistan’s role as a safe haven for terrorist organisations, Baitullah Khan Mehsud’s recent detention and alleged execution by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) might just be the best confirmation yet. But sure, let’s keep pretending those Afghan denials of harboring terrorists hold water.
Mehsud, a veteran TTP commander, spent 11 years in Pakistani prison after being captured in 2012. Fast forward to 2023, and after his release, he conveniently finds his way to Afghanistan; a country that, according to its new rulers, is completely free of foreign militants. How convenient. But wait, it gets better. In 2024, this senior commander of a banned terrorist group gets locked up by his very own allies in Afghanistan’s TTP-run prisons. No big deal, right?
For those still holding on to the Afghan government’s official line that they’re not harboring terror groups, it must be tough to keep that narrative intact when evidence is stacking up like a Jenga tower in a windstorm. Mehsud’s detention and the rumours of his execution, supposedly happening inside a prison set up by the very organisation that claims to be defeating terrorism, certainly seem like an inconvenient truth for those still clinging to the hope that the Taliban isn’t harboring foreign militants.
Let’s also not ignore the pictures floating around, allegedly showing Mehsud in Kabul’s Habibullah Zai Park. If he was under the Taliban’s “protection,” it certainly doesn’t sound like it. But hey, perhaps these are just some poorly timed selfies, because who wouldn’t take a photo of a senior TTP commander in a park in the middle of a terrorist safe haven?
And yet, Afghanistan’s authorities continue to deny, deny, deny; because admitting that TTP and other terrorist groups operate freely in Afghan soil would mean acknowledging that safe havens exist. Acknowledging that, yes, Afghanistan might just be the epicentre for terrorist organisations looking for a place to set up camp, regroup, and continue their campaign of violence. “Totally not true,” they say.
But let’s be real: if the Taliban and TTP are making secret prisons for their own high-ranking operatives, what’s really going on behind the scenes? Are these prisons just for fun? Or could they be the tip of the iceberg for the much bigger terrorist network flourishing under the Taliban’s watch? Is it really that far-fetched to think global terrorist groups might be finding Afghanistan the perfect playground?
This latest development not only raises serious questions about Afghanistan’s “terror-free” status, but it also validates long-held concerns from Pakistan and the international community that Afghanistan is a breeding ground for terror. So the next time someone in Kabul insists there’s nothing to worry about, maybe just remind them: Baitullah Khan Mehsud’s jail time wasn’t exactly spent on a luxury holiday — it was in a TTP-run facility in Afghanistan. But don’t worry, no safe havens here, right?
