Several soldiers were reportedly killed and numerous more were injured when a group of highly armed Taliban militants launched coordinated strikes on three Pakistani military sites close to the Afghanistan border on Friday.
Hours later, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the propaganda branch of the Pakistan Army, said that the predawn attack had occurred in the unstable border region of Khyber. At least three soldiers were slain in the ensuing fighting, and four attackers were also killed. More than a dozen Pakistani soldiers were reportedly injured as well, according to many security sources in the conflict zone, though the statement did not provide any other information.
In the fighting that followed, four attackers were also killed in addition to at least three soldiers. Numerous security sources in the battle area claim that more than a dozen Pakistani soldiers were also hurt; however, the statement provided no further details.
Since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan three years ago, the violence has escalated and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis, primarily security forces. The de facto Taliban government maintains that it forbids anyone from posing a danger to other nations, especially Pakistan, from Afghanistan and rejects the existence of foreign terrorists there.
According to the UN’s most recent status assessment, which supports Pakistani claims, the TTP is “the largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan and is increasingly receiving help from the Taliban, who control the country, to carry out cross-border assaults.
According to the study, which was published last month, there may be as many as 6,500 TTP members operating in Afghanistan, including fighters from Afghanistan. These members receive both training and weapons at facilities managed by al-Qaida.
The most significant regional threat, according to U.N. officials, is being posed by Islamic State Khorasan, or IS-K, an Afghan branch of Islamic State. These authorities have issued repeated warnings about the potential for terrorism originating from Afghanistan.
At a Security Council meeting on Thursday, the chief of the U.N. counterterrorism office stated that IS-Khorasan has stepped up recruitment activities in Afghanistan and that there is a chance the group may carry out strikes overseas.
The Taliban’s principal spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, replied to the U.N. findings late on Friday, calling them “propaganda-driven and unfounded.”
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In a statement published on X, he restated the claim that IS-K in Afghanistan has been “significantly weakened” by ongoing counterterrorism operations carried out by Taliban security forces.
He asserted that “the entire territory of Afghanistan remains firmly” under their control, making it impossible for other organizations to function in the country and that the Taliban leadership forbids anyone from using Afghan soil to threaten other nations.
