ISLAMABAD: A top Afghan interior ministry official announced on Sunday his government had arrested about 40 Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, over the past year, emphasizing Kabul’s desire to maintain good relations with all neighboring states.
This is the first time any Afghan official has said the authorities in his country have taken action against TTP fighters, who are accused by Pakistan of orchestrating attacks in areas near its western frontier.
Pakistan has recently experienced an increase in militant violence and suicide bombings, which its officials say have been perpetrated by TTP and associated groups based in Afghanistan. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar revealed last month his country had asked Kabul to choose between Pakistan or the militant network earlier this year following a deadly mosque bombing in Peshawar that killed about 100 worshippers.
The issue of TTP militants in Afghanistan has escalated tensions between the two countries, leading to Pakistan announcing the expulsion of unregistered foreigners, mainly Afghans, citing security concerns.
“Today, there is no [militant] group operating in Afghanistan,” Afghan interior ministry spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, told TOLOnews. “There are a large number of Daesh captives with us, and around 35 to 40 TTP [fighters] are imprisoned by us.”
He maintained Kabul wanted positive relations with Afghanistan’s neighbors and would not allow its soil to be used by armed factions to launch attacks against other countries.
He assured the Afghan media outlet any threat to his country’s security would be met with immediate action, with the responsible individuals or groups being identified and arrested.
Pakistan has said it wants authorities in Kabul to hand over militants targeting its security personnel and people in cross-border attacks.
Amid the mounting tensions, the Afghan authorities have invited a leading Pakistani religious politician, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to Kabul, though the agenda of the visit has not been revealed by either side.
Afghanistan claims arrest of 40 Pakistani Taliban, expresses desire for better regional relations
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Afghanistan claims arrest of 40 Pakistani Taliban, expresses desire for better regional relations
- A senior Afghan interior ministry official says there are no militant groups operating in Afghanistan
- The presence of TTP militants in Afghanistan has strained relations between the two neighboring states
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
