By Our Correspondent 

KABUL - A new United Nations Security Council report reveals that Afghanistan under Taliban rule continues to serve as a sanctuary for numerous terrorist organizations, with the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) escalating cross-border attacks and extremist groups expanding their regional reach.

The comprehensive assessment, dated August 10, paints a troubling picture of Afghanistan's evolving role as a base for terrorist operations, with the Taliban authorities publicly denying they harbor any groups while maintaining ties with organizations like Al-Qaida and TTP.

The report highlights that TTP, a Pakistani Taliban faction, has significantly intensified its campaign against Pakistan, operating with impunity from Afghan territory. In March, the group announced its spring offensive, "Operation Khyber," explicitly calling for increased attacks targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians.

One of the deadliest incidents occurred on February 16 in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device killed 11 security personnel and a child. TTP claimed responsibility, reportedly staging the attack from across the Afghan border.

In a potentially significant development, the Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has reportedly warned TTP leadership through back-channel communications to halt attacks on Pakistan or risk losing Taliban support. The Taliban also relocated approximately 2,000 TTP fighters and their families further inside Afghanistan, apparently seeking to rein in the group.

However, TTP also announced a restructured leadership on December 25, creating new divisions covering Balochistan and Kashmir, as well as a so-called "TTP Air Force," indicating continued organizational evolution.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) remains the greatest threat to both the Taliban authorities and the broader region, the report states.

Although counter-terrorism operations by Pakistan and the Taliban have dealt setbacks to the group, ISIL-K is in a rebuilding phase and retains capability for high-profile mass casualty attacks.

The group has demonstrated increasing sophistication, with regional member states reporting that ISIL-K possesses modern tactical equipment, including drones, night vision devices, and thermal imagers. Terrorists have received training in urban combat and drone operations.

Notable attacks claimed by or attributed to ISIL-K include:

• A January 19 suicide bombing at a Chinese restaurant in central Kabul, killing 12 people and injuring 15

• A February 6 suicide attack during Friday prayers at the Khadija Tul Kubra Shia mosque in Islamabad, killing 32 and injuring over 150

• The May 5 assassination of Pakistani cleric Sheikh Muhammad Idrees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Al-Qaida's status in Afghanistan remains unchanged, but a significant development emerged on April 28 when its official media outlet, As-Sahab, issued a statement supporting both the Taliban and, for the first time, TTP in their operations against Pakistan. While Al-Qaida has historically provided ideological guidance and training to TTP, this public endorsement represents a more direct involvement.

Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has evolved from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity, operating through decentralized cells rather than large units. The report notes that AQIS leadership reportedly remains in Kabul, having been issued identification documents by Taliban authorities—suggesting close cooperation between the two.

AQIS formed the backbone of Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), which was responsible for a May 9 suicide bombing in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that killed 21 people, and a February 22 vehicle-borne IED attack on a military convoy that killed two.

China, speaking at the UN Security Council, has called on the Afghan government to "implement counter-terrorism commitments and resolutely combat all terrorist forces entrenched in Afghanistan, including entities and individuals listed by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee," warning against Afghanistan again becoming a "terrorist breeding ground" .

The report also notes that ETIM/TIP, a UN-designated terrorist organization, has established new strongholds in Afghanistan's Badakhshan and Kunduz provinces, with its leader ordering increased combat readiness and weapons purchases. One member state reported that the group was training its militants in an Al-Qaida training camp at Barg-e Matal, Nuristan.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has been reported to share facilitation networks with ISIL-K for logistics, and BLA terrorists have reportedly received training alongside TTP from Al-Qaida trainers in Afghanistan.