UN: Al-Qaeda and Taliban Assist in Executing Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan

A new report from the United Nations warns that Al-Qaeda has established eight new training camps in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and is increasingly assisting anti-government militants in Pakistan to carry out attacks on Pakistani soil. The report states that one Al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan's Kunar province is conducting 'suicide bombing training' to support the operations of the 'Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan' (TTP), which has been identified as a 'specially designated global terrorist group' leading attacks against Pakistani security forces. The UN's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team released its findings this week, providing a new assessment of the threats posed by militant groups, particularly the TTP, from their sanctuaries in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Taliban officials in Afghanistan dismissed the UN findings as 'false claims' on Thursday, February 1. The report indicates that the Taliban's relations with senior Al-Qaeda leaders, especially with 'Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent', remain 'strong'. According to the report's findings, the Taliban 'generally supports the objectives of the TTP' and has not responded to repeated requests from Pakistan to curb cross-border militant violence. In the past year alone, nearly a thousand Pakistani security forces and civilians were killed by militants. The report assesses the short-term detention of 70 to 200 TTP members and the relocation of personnel away from border areas by the Taliban as a diversionary factor against Pakistan's pressure to contain the TTP. It adds that 'the Taliban, the core of Al-Qaeda, and Al-Qaeda fighters, in addition to providing weapons and equipment, have assisted TTP forces in cross-border attacks... Some Taliban members have also joined the TTP, viewing support as a religious duty.' The UN report states that TTP members and their families receive regular aid packages from the Taliban. It further notes that Taliban officials reportedly provide $50,000 monthly to Noor Wali Mehsud, the TTP leader. The report highlights a significant increase in the number of Afghan citizens within the ranks of the TTP and states that the core of Al-Qaeda continues to provide training, ideological guidance, and support to the TTP. The UN added that Al-Qaeda recently ordered all its vehicles to be 'donated' to the TTP due to fears of being targeted by the US. This support has 'emboldened and strengthened' the TTP to carry out attacks with greater autonomy. The UN report notes that Al-Qaeda is reportedly supplying armed fighters to support a major TTP attack on security outposts in the Chitral border region of Pakistan, boosting the morale of that group. The report mentions a nascent group called 'Tehrik-i-Jihad Pakistan' that is also operating from Afghan soil, likely with the support of Al-Qaeda and the TTP. 'Tehrik-i-Jihad Pakistan' has claimed responsibility for several attacks on senior Pakistani military officials in recent months. Islamabad officials stated that several attackers killed by security forces in these assaults were Afghan nationals. In December, members of 'Tehrik-i-Jihad Pakistan', including suicide bombers, attacked an army base in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 23 soldiers. This was the deadliest attack against the Pakistani army in recent years. The UN review noted that several member countries reported that 'many weapons were available in stockpiles' left behind after the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Afghanistan in September 2021 and the Taliban's rise to power, and these weapons continue to proliferate. The organization added that reports indicate that weapons and equipment, especially night-vision-capable weapons, have made 'TTP's attacks against the security forces of that country deadlier.' A senior Taliban government spokesperson rejected the UN report regarding the presence of Al-Qaeda camps or claims of Kabul's support for militant groups. Zabihullah Mujahid stated in a statement, 'No one in Afghanistan is linked to Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against Pakistan. However, preventing attacks within Pakistan is not our responsibility.' Mujahid had previously denied Pakistan's claims that his government allows the TTP to carry out cross-border attacks. The TTP is known for having led insurgent attacks against US-led international forces in Afghanistan for years while also recruiting and sheltering Taliban leaders in Pakistani territory. According to Pakistani officials, this group has moved its command and control operations to border areas of the country after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, where it continues its attacks with greater freedom. The UN: The Taliban has taken no action to counter terrorists like Al-Qaeda. The 'Herat Security Dialogue' meeting focused on the situation in Afghanistan was held in Tajikistan. The Taliban called Pakistan's decision to expel 1.7 million Afghan migrants 'unacceptable'. Border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces; the Torkham crossing was closed. Doubts about the 'recognition of the Taliban in the world' after the killing of al-Zawahiri in Kabul. The UN: The new leader of Al-Qaeda is in Iran.