The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistan told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that multiple militant groups continue to operate from safe havens in Afghanistan under the Taliban, warning that the country's security situation remains a growing threat to regional stability.
Speaking during a Security Council briefing on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorism, Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said militant groups have continued to operate in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
"The situation in Afghanistan remains deeply alarming," Ahmad told the council. "Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, multiple terrorist groups continue to thrive in that country in an increasingly permissive environment."
Ahmad named the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade, the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and al-Qaida affiliates as groups that Pakistan says have access to safe havens inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of allowing the TTP to use Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, allegations the Taliban have consistently denied.
The ambassador urged the Taliban authorities to ensure Afghan territory is not used by militant groups to threaten other countries and called for international action against what he described as external sponsors of terrorism.
The remarks came a day after the United States and Pakistan held the fourth U.S.-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington, where the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to combating militant groups and expanding security cooperation. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Washington and Islamabad said they remained committed to countering ISIS-K, al-Qaida, the TTP and the BLA, among other groups.
The Taliban had not immediately responded to Ahmad's remarks.
