A United Nations Security Council report has rejected the Taliban’s claim that Afghan territory is not being used for cross-border militancy, calling the assertion “not credible” and warning that neighboring countries increasingly see Afghanistan as a source of regional insecurity.
The findings are contained in the sixteenth report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council, covering developments from May 29, 2024, to November 11, 2025—more than four years after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
“The de facto authorities continue to deny that any terrorist groups have a footprint in or operate from its territory. That claim is not credible,” the report stated.
Militant Groups Operating from Afghanistan
According to the UN assessment, a wide range of member states have consistently reported the presence of multiple terrorist organisations in Afghanistan. These include Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al Qaeda, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM/TIP), Jamaat Ansarullah, and Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan.
The report warns that some of these groups have used, or continue to use, Afghan territory to plan and prepare external attacks, directly contradicting Taliban assurances under the 2020 Doha Agreement, which committed them to preventing Afghanistan from being used against other countries.
Al Qaeda–TTP Nexus Raises Alarm
The monitoring team assessed that Al Qaeda has “blended itself with the TTP,” with or without the acquiescence of the Taliban. Al Qaeda is described as maintaining close ties with Taliban authorities, enjoying a permissive environment that enables training, reorganisation, and low-profile operations across several Afghan provinces.
In contrast, ISKP remains the Taliban’s primary adversary. While Taliban operations have degraded ISKP’s territorial control, the group continues to demonstrate resilience by carrying out attacks both inside Afghanistan and abroad.
TTP Seen as Most Serious Regional Threat
The report identifies the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the most acute threat to regional stability, particularly to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. It states that the TTP enjoys strong support from elements within the Taliban and continues to operate from Afghan sanctuaries.
“Taliban authorities continue to deny and deflect responsibility for failing to restrain TTP,” the report noted, adding that there are “varying degrees of sympathy for and allegiance with TTP” within Taliban ranks.
The report further assessed that, given historical ties, the Taliban are unlikely—and possibly unable—to act decisively against the TTP, even under pressure from Pakistan.
Surge in Attacks Inside Pakistan
According to the UN document, the TTP has carried out numerous high-profile attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil, with violence escalating throughout 2025.
“By some estimates, there have already been more than 600 attacks in Pakistan in 2025,” the report said.
Many of these attacks were described as complex and coordinated, involving vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and teams of suicide bombers. The report also noted that a majority of suicide bombers involved in attacks in Pakistan were reported to be Afghan nationals.
The UN estimates the TTP’s strength at around 6,000 fighters, mainly based in Afghanistan’s Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika, and Paktia provinces. The group’s leader, Noor Wali Mehsud, is reportedly living in Kabul.
An unnamed member state claimed that Mehsud’s family receives a monthly payment of three million Afghanis (approximately $43,000) from Taliban sources.
Economic Impact of Border Closures
The report also highlighted the economic fallout of heightened tensions, estimating that border closures between Pakistan and Afghanistan cost the Afghan economy around $1 million per day, further exacerbating Afghanistan’s fragile economic situation.
Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Efforts Acknowledged
Despite the growing threat, the UN report acknowledged Pakistan’s counterterrorism measures, describing them as effective and impactful.
Among the notable actions cited were the arrest of ISKP spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azam on May 16, 2025, and the mid-2025 arrest of Ozgur Altun (Abu Yasir al-Turki) by Turkish and Pakistani authorities. Altun was a key figure in ISKP’s media and logistics network, and his arrest may have contributed to the suspension of the group’s propaganda outlet, Voice of Khorasan.
AQIS Leadership Update
On Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the report disclosed that Osama Mahmoud was formally declared the group’s emir in March 2025. He reportedly hails from Bajaur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, underscoring the cross-border dimensions of militant networks.
Pakistan’s Position Validated
The UN Security Council report once again validated Pakistan’s long-standing stance that Afghanistan continues to serve as a safe haven for terrorist organisations. It warned that cross-border militancy originating from Afghan territory remains a serious and growing threat to regional and international security, directly contradicting Taliban claims that no such groups operate within Afghanistan.
