UN report casts doubt on Taliban assurances over militant activity in Afghanistan

WEB DESK: A United Nations Security Council monitoring report has challenged the Afghan Taliban’s repeated claims that militant groups are not operating from Afghan soil, warning that such assertions lack credibility and that neighbouring countries increasingly see Afghanistan as a driver of regional instability.

As per Dawn, the findings are part of the 16th report by the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council more than four years after the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The assessment comes amid growing international concern over the security environment in Afghanistan and its spillover effects across the region.

According to the report, Taliban authorities continue to deny that armed groups are present or active within Afghanistan, despite consistent evidence to the contrary provided by multiple UN member states. The monitoring team said these denials cannot be taken at face value, given repeated reports of cross-border attacks planned or launched from Afghan territory.

Under the 2020 Doha Agreement, the Taliban committed to ensuring that Afghanistan would not be used to threaten other countries. While the group has carried out sustained operations against the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), the UN report noted that its approach towards other militant organisations has been far less decisive.

The assessment said that several armed groups, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al Qaeda, Jamaat Ansarullah, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party), and others — continue to maintain a presence in Afghanistan. Some of these groups, it added, have used Afghan territory to plan or prepare attacks beyond the country’s borders.

The report described Al Qaeda as maintaining close and enduring ties with the Taliban, with operatives present across several Afghan provinces. Although the group keeps a low public profile, UN monitors said it benefits from an environment that allows it to regroup, train and reorganise. In contrast, ISIL-K remains the Taliban’s principal enemy. While Taliban actions have weakened the group’s territorial footprint, ISIL-K continues to demonstrate operational resilience, carrying out attacks inside Afghanistan and abroad.

The most serious threat to regional stability, however, was identified as the TTP. The report said the group continues to operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan and enjoys varying levels of support from within the Taliban leadership.

According to the monitoring team, Taliban authorities have consistently denied responsibility for restraining the TTP, while internal divisions persist over how to deal with the group. Some senior Taliban figures reportedly see the TTP as a growing liability that is damaging relations with Pakistan, while others remain sympathetic or openly supportive. Given the long-standing ideological and operational links between the two groups, the report concluded that the Taliban are unlikely — and may even be unable — to take meaningful action against the TTP.

The report said TTP-led violence in Pakistan has intensified throughout 2025, with hundreds of attacks recorded so far this year. Many of these assaults were described as complex operations involving coordinated teams, suicide bombers and vehicle-borne explosives. The monitoring team also noted reports indicating that a significant number of suicide attackers involved in these incidents were Afghan nationals.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering TTP fighters, estimated by the UN at around 6,000 individuals. These fighters are believed to be based in several eastern Afghan provinces, while the group’s leader, Noor Wali Mehsud, is reportedly residing in Kabul. One member state cited in the report claimed that Mehsud’s family receives regular financial support from Taliban-linked sources.

The dispute over TTP presence has placed severe strain on relations between Islamabad and Kabul, occasionally leading to cross-border clashes and prolonged closures of key border crossings. The report estimated that these closures alone are costing the Afghan economy around $1 million per day.

The monitoring team also warned that the TTP has broadened its target set, including military-owned businesses and economic interests, escalating risks for both Pakistani infrastructure and Chinese-linked projects. It further noted growing cooperation between the TTP and other militant groups.

Despite these concerns, the report acknowledged some progress in counterterrorism efforts, citing several high-profile arrests by Pakistani authorities and joint actions that have weakened ISIL-K’s operational capacity.

Overall, the UN assessment paints a picture of a complex and fragile security situation, with militant networks continuing to exploit Afghan territory despite Taliban assurances to the international community.