Militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan present the biggest threat to Pakistan’s national security
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There has been a marked rise in cross-border militant attacks in the former tribal regions after the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan last year presenting a serious security challenge to Pakistan. The situation has taken a more serious turn as the Afghan Taliban administration has refused to take action against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating from its soil. There are also some reports of the militants being actively supported by some Afghan Taliban officials.
Clearly, the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP. Once split into several factions, the terrorists in Afghanistan, said to number around 5,000 to 6,000, are reuniting and appear to be better equipped. Their leadership took refuge in Afghanistan after fleeing military operations in Pakistan’s former tribal areas— apparently with the support of the Afghan Taliban.
Many TTP militants, who were released from Afghan jails with the return of the Afghan Taliban after the American exit, are said to be actively involved in launching terrorist attacks in Pakistan. More than 150 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in cross border terrorist attacks since the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan last year.
Instead of taking action against the militants, the Taliban asked Pakistan to address the TTP’s so-called “grievances” and offered to mediate talks. A tenuous cease-fire has been agreed by the TTP, but it has not stopped militants from continuing attacks on Pakistani security forces across the border in the now tribal districts.
Pakistan needs to act to contain rising militancy emanating from Afghanistan that threatens its national security before it’s too late.
Zahid Hussain
The militants have refused to lay down their arms. Pakistan had begun peace talks with the outlawed TTP network on the insistence of the Afghan Taliban regime late last year, something that had led to massive public outrage within the country. After a start-stop dialogue process spanning several months, the TTP appears politically stronger and emboldened.
The move was seen as ceding to the TTP, which is recognized globally as a terrorist group. Majority of the recent attacks in North Waziristan are said to have been carried out by the TTP faction considered close to the Haqqani network. After a start-stop dialogue process spanning several months, the TTP appears politically stronger and emboldened. In April, the TTP launched a spring offensive named “Al-Badr,” the most significant insurgent attack against Pakistani security forces.
Meanwhile, the simmering tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban regime seems to be fast spilling over into an open conflict as border clashes mount. Consequently, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are teetering on the brink of a major crisis. Since coming into power, the Taliban has defied Pakistan — its main state supporter during the insurgency against US forces.
It has challenged the status of the Afghan-Pakistan border and has provided a haven to anti-Pakistan insurgent groups, which has killed thousands of Pakistanis and seeks to establish Taliban-style, Shariah-rule in Pakistan. This has hugely disappointed Islamabad, which had helped the group on the assumption that it would resolve Pakistan’s security problems on its western borders. Contrary to that, the return of Taliban in Afghanistan has worsened Pakistan’s security problems.
Tensions between the two countries have mounted with the increase in incidents of cross border attacks in Pakistan’s border regions. In a major escalation in April this year, Pakistan carried out coordinated airstrikes inside Afghanistan at suspected TTP locations but ended up killing civilians.
In response, the Taliban summoned Islamabad’s envoy in Kabul and the group’s defense minister, Mullah Yaqub, threatened retaliation in case of more attacks, albeit without naming Pakistan. In a strongly worded statement, Pakistan warned the Taliban regime against militants using Afghan soil to carry out attacks on its soil. These harsh exchanges are ominous.
The Afghan Taliban has made little effort to conceal their support for the TTP in Afghanistan. Most observers agree that it’s an ideological alignment seeking to establish a retrogressive political order through force. The Taliban and the TTP also share Al-Qaeda as an ally. Many observers believe that by protecting the TTP, the Afghan Taliban administration is seeking to use the militant group as bargaining leverage with Pakistan.
The TTP and other militant groups have given strategic depth to the regressive regime in Afghanistan. It’s apparent that the Taliban want a likeminded political actor such as the TTP to ultimately rise to power in Pakistan. The revival of TTP in Swat and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province has aggravated the law & order problem in the troubled region.
Last week, the suspected militants fired on a girls’ school in Swat killing the driver and seriously wounding others. The incident has triggered widespread protests in the province. It’s an extremely dangerous situation. Pakistan needs to act to contain rising militancy emanating from Afghanistan that threatens its national security before it’s too late.
- Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in DC. He is author of Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with Militant Islam and The Scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan. Frontline Pakistan was the book of the year (2007) by the WSJ. His latest book ‘No-Win War’ was published this year. Twitter: @hidhussain
