Pakistan urges Afghan Taliban to stop militants from carrying out cross-border attacks

Pakistan wants Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to prevent militants based in Afghanistan from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. It is specifically demanding action against the TTP, which Pakistan identifies as a major terrorist threat. The request matters because attacks launched across a national border can turn security disputes into wider diplomatic crises.

The mechanism Pakistan points to is militant activity from what it calls sanctuaries in Afghanistan. The Express Tribune reports that Pakistan rejected remarks by Mujahid and demanded action against the TTP. Pakistan also said more than 20,000 militants are in Afghanistan, including 6,000 TTP members. These figures are Pakistani claims presented in the source.

Afghan officials, including Mujahid in the cited coverage, have responded that Pakistan should address its own internal problems instead of making accusations. The source does not describe a new joint security plan or a specific deadline. Continued disagreement could leave the border threat unresolved and deepen mistrust between the two governments.

The TTP, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, is an umbrella militant organization made up of Pakistani Taliban factions. It is separate from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, although the two movements share ideological and historical links. Pakistan identifies the TTP as a terrorist threat because it has been associated with attacks against Pakistan’s state, security forces, and civilians. The source does not list individual attacks.

The article’s central dispute concerns whether TTP members operate from Afghan territory. Pakistan says Afghanistan contains militant sanctuaries and demands that Taliban authorities act against them. Afghanistan’s Mujahid rejects that framing and says Pakistan should address its internal problems instead. The disagreement is therefore about both security and responsibility.

Afghanistan International reports Pakistan’s estimate of more than 20,000 militants in Afghanistan, including 6,000 TTP members. These are claims attributed to Pakistan, not independently verified figures in the supplied text. If the issue remains unresolved, TTP activity could continue to drive accusations and pressure across the border.

Pakistan’s stated estimate is that more than 20,000 militants are present in Afghanistan. It says 6,000 of them belong to the TTP, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The figures matter because they frame Pakistan’s argument that Afghan territory is being used by groups capable of attacking Pakistan.

The number comes from a report by Afghanistan International cited in the source. Pakistan uses the estimate to support demands that Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities take action against the TTP and other militants. The source does not identify the remaining militants by group, explain how the total was calculated, or provide an independent assessment of the figures.

These numbers are therefore best understood as Pakistan’s reported security assessment. Afghanistan’s Mujahid disputes Pakistan’s approach and says Pakistan should deal with its own internal problems. Unless the two sides establish shared evidence or cooperation, the figures are likely to remain part of a broader argument over responsibility for cross-border attacks.

The Afghan Taliban are the Islamist movement that has served as Afghanistan’s de facto national authority since returning to power in 2021. In practical terms, they administer government institutions and exercise control over most of Afghanistan’s territory. This broader background is established knowledge; the supplied headlines do not explain the Taliban’s governing structure.

Their authority matters because Pakistan is asking them to prevent militants from using Afghan territory for attacks across the border. Pakistan’s demand assumes that Taliban authorities can locate, restrict, or act against armed groups operating inside Afghanistan. The source specifically connects that demand to the TTP and to claims about militant sanctuaries.

The Taliban’s exact relationship with every armed group is not described in the supplied text. Afghan official Mujahid instead says Pakistan should address its internal problems, rejecting Pakistan’s accusations. The dispute therefore centers on whether Taliban authorities are willing and able to act against militants, and whether Pakistan accepts their response.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing or tolerating militant sanctuaries because it says armed groups, especially the TTP, are operating from Afghan territory and attacking Pakistan. The concern is not only where militants are located, but whether authorities allow them to organize, shelter, and prepare attacks. The supplied text presents this as Pakistan’s position.

The key mechanism is disputed responsibility. Pakistan urges the Taliban to stop cross-border attacks and demands action against the TTP. It also cites an estimate of more than 20,000 militants in Afghanistan, including 6,000 TTP members. Afghan official Mujahid rejects Pakistan’s accusations and says Pakistan should focus on its own internal problems instead.

The source does not establish independently whether Afghanistan is providing sanctuaries or merely failing to prevent militant activity. That unresolved disagreement makes cooperation difficult. If both sides continue assigning blame rather than sharing evidence and pursuing militants, accusations may intensify alongside security tensions and diplomatic friction.

If cross-border attacks continue, Pakistan and Afghanistan could face worsening security and diplomatic relations. Pakistan may increase pressure on Taliban authorities to act against militants, while Afghanistan may continue rejecting accusations and redirecting attention to Pakistan’s internal problems. These outcomes are established possibilities in cross-border conflicts, but the supplied article does not announce a planned Pakistani or Afghan response.

The current dispute shows how the tension works. Pakistan urges the Taliban to stop attacks and demands action against the TTP. It also says more than 20,000 militants, including 6,000 TTP members, are in Afghanistan. Mujahid responds that Pakistan should address its own internal problems instead of making accusations.

Without a shared investigation or an agreed security mechanism, each new attack could produce another cycle of blame. That could make cooperation on the border harder and increase pressure on the Taliban authorities. The source does not state that escalation will occur, so these are possible implications rather than reported developments.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border is difficult to control because it runs through rugged mountains, remote valleys, and areas where regular movement is hard to monitor. Communities and armed groups may also operate across the frontier’s political divide. This background comes from established regional knowledge; the supplied article itself does not explain the border’s geography.

Insurgent groups can use remote terrain and safe havens to avoid detection, move people and supplies, and plan attacks away from the authorities they target. A group may cross, shelter, or organize in one country and attack the other. Pakistan’s accusation that militants operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan reflects this broader border mechanism, while Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s interpretation.

The source reports Pakistan’s claim of more than 20,000 militants in Afghanistan, including 6,000 TTP members. It does not independently verify those figures or describe specific routes. Better control would require cooperation and intelligence sharing, but the present exchange shows that both sides disagree over responsibility.