In first, Kabul says Pakistani Taliban militants imprisoned in Afghanistan

Published December 16, 2023

Interim Taliban administration says it acted against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants

In a first since their return to power in 2021, the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan said that over the last year, it has acted against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TT) militants and arrested many of them.

“Today, there is no (militant) group operating in Afghanistan. There are a large number of Daesh (ISIS) captives with us, and around 35 to 40 TTP have been imprisoned by us,” Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the interim Interior Ministry, told Kabul-based Tolo News on Saturday.

The statement comes amid a steep rise in militant attacks on neighboring Pakistan, which has blamed the TTP, claiming that it has hideouts in Afghanistan.

Qani said they are “obliged to ensure the security of the country, and anyone who disturbs it, we will recognize them as a criminal and will arrest them, and not allow them.”

Taliban returned to rule Afghanistan in August 2021, after over two decades of war.

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SOURCE: www.aa.com.tr

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RELATED:Pakistan Seeks US Help Against Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan

Published December 16, 2023

Taliban success emboldens Pakistani militants, and deadly attacks surge

Pakistan’s army chief is in Washington this week seeking U.S. assistance against what Islamabad alleges are terrorist havens in neighboring Afghanistan.

General Asim Munir is trying to convince U.S. security and defense officials that militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State’s Khorasan offshoot (IS-K) pose a threat not only to Pakistan but also to U.S. and global security, experts say.

“In seeking U.S. sympathy and support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism concerns, he may note the many years of U.S.-Pakistan military cooperation that includes some counterterrorism collaborations, as well as many years of military education and training exchanges,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.

“He will likely also note that both countries face threats emanating from Afghanistan, whether IS-K or TTP,” Kugelman added.

On Wednesday, Munir met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and discussed “recent regional security developments and potential areas for bilateral defense cooperation,” according to a brief statement from the Pentagon.

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SOURCE: www.voanews.com

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RELATED: The Azadi Briefing: Deadly Attack Further Inflames Tensions Between Pakistan And Afghan Taliban

A Pakistani soldier examines the site of a suicide bombing in Dera Ismail Khan that killed nearly two dozen people on December 12.

Published December 12, 2023

A suicide bomber killed 23 soldiers in an attack on a military base in northwestern Pakistan on December 12, in one of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani security forces in years.

The Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a lesser-known militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack in the district of Dera Ismail Khan. Islamabad and some experts believe the group is a front for the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

Following the deadly attack, Islamabad delivered a strongly-worded message to the Afghan Taliban demanding that it hand over TTP leaders allegedly hiding in Afghanistan.

One provincial Pakistani minister even called for retaliatory attacks inside Afghanistan.

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SOURCE: www.rferl.og

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