Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has, as usually, dismissed fresh accusations from four neighboring powers that militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, continue to operate from Afghan soil.
Deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, on Saturday, told reporters that “no armed group is operating in Afghanistan” and insisted the country “will not be used against other nations.” He said the Taliban alone is responsible for security and has taken “necessary measures” to prevent cross-border threats.
His comments followed a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The ministers expressed concern over the reported presence of ISIS, al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Jaish al-Adl in Afghanistan, warning that their activities threaten regional peace and stability. They urged the Taliban to take “verifiable and non-discriminatory action” against such groups.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of giving sanctuary to the banned TTP, which Islamabad says is behind a surge in cross-border attacks—a charge the Taliban consistently denies.
Despite Kabul’s denials, Pakistani officials point to a growing record of incidents involving foreign militants with Afghan links:
Mazar-i-Sharif killing: On Friday, unknown gunmen in the northern city killed Muhammad Ihsani, also known as Anwar, a senior Islamic State Khorasan (IS-KP) commander described by intelligence sources as the group’s operational head for Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Ihsani, an ethnic Tajik, allegedly trained Tajik suicide bombers and facilitated their movement into Pakistan. He was nominated as a key facilitator of the 2022 Kocha Risaldar mosque bombing in Peshawar, which killed 67 worshippers.
Church plot foiled: Pakistani security forces recently killed another Tajik militant in an intelligence-based operation, thwarting an alleged plot to attack a church in Peshawar.
Cross-border infiltration: Earlier this week, Pakistani forces eliminated an Afghan national attempting to infiltrate the Tirah Valley of Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
August repatriations: Islamabad says Taliban officials quietly negotiated in August for the return of bodies of TTP and Afghan fighters killed in Sambaza, a border area of Balochistan’s Zhob district.
Pakistani security agencies argue that such incidents underscore the presence of foreign terrorists inside Afghanistan and the involvement of Afghan nationals in cross-border violence—contradicting the Taliban’s repeated assurances to the international community.
