RASC News Agency: Credible intelligence indicates that senior leaders and operatives of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have established a foothold in Kabul and key provincial centers across Afghanistan, despite persistent denials from the Afghanistani Taliban. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly asserted that TTP’s leadership operates from within Afghanistan, particularly in Kabul. Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former envoy to Afghanistan, recently disclosed that nearly 6,000 TTP fighters are stationed across the country. He stated:
“TTP leaders are based in Kabul, and the group is actively engaged in operations throughout various regions of Afghanistan.” While the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban refutes these allegations, extensive evidence and independent reports suggest that Pakistani Taliban militants move freely within Afghanistani territory, particularly in the capital. Eyewitness accounts from Kabul reveal that some armed personnel assigned to critical security points exhibit distinct linguistic patterns, markedly different from those spoken by Afghanistani Pashto and Persian speakers. Residents interviewed by RASC News Agency claim that these individuals struggle to comprehend both Persian and the local Pashto dialects.
A Kabul resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, recounted an encounter:
“One day, I confronted one of these armed men. When I spoke to him in Pashto, he did not understand a word. Persian was completely foreign to him. Another man, acting as a translator, had to interpret for him.”
Another witness described a similar incident:
“At a security checkpoint in western Kabul, I saw several armed men conversing in thick Punjabi and Urdu accents. They were stopping pedestrians, yet they could not comprehend a single word of Afghanistani Persian or Pashto.” Beyond Kabul, reports confirm that Pakistani Taliban militants have expanded their presence into multiple Afghanistani provinces. Pakistani media sources suggest that TTP fighters have been relocated to eastern and northern Afghanistan, with intelligence reports indicating that a contingent was recently deployed to Takhar province.
Despite these revelations, the Afghanistani Taliban insist that no militant group is using Afghanistani soil as a launchpad for operations against foreign nations, particularly Pakistan. In response to these allegations, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated:
“We do not permit any group to use Afghanistani soil against other countries.”
However, Pakistani officials strongly dispute these claims, maintaining that TTP maintains deep, fraternal ties with the Afghanistani Taliban and continues to operate freely within the country. While the Afghanistani Taliban deny harboring Pakistani militants, eyewitness testimonies, intelligence reports, and official Pakistani statements confirm that Pakistani Taliban fighters are not only present in Afghanistan but have entrenched themselves in Kabul and key provincial centers.
The increasing visibility of foreign militants securing strategic locations has sparked deep concern among Afghanistani citizens, intensifying fears over the growing influence and operational dominance of the Pakistani Taliban within Afghanistan.
