ISLAMABAD: A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has backed Pakistan’s view on terrorists from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hiding in hideouts and sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the report mentioned how the TTP – declared by the Pakistani government as “Fitna al-Khawarij” – could “transform into an extraordinary regional threat as well as an ‘umbrella organisation'” of other terrorist groups. groups.
According to Baloch, the UN report indicated that TTP operatives and its new recruits are being trained in Afghanistan.
The FO then urged Afghanistan to take immediate, effective and forceful action against terrorist groups including “Fitna al-Khawarij”. Baloch further claimed that the Afghan side must ensure that their country is not used for terrorist activities in Pakistan.
The FO spokesman said that Pakistan has long communicated that the terrorist organization has a support structure in Afghanistan, adding that the UN report highlighted the banned terrorist organization’s increased cooperation with the Afghan Taliban.
“We have also urged Afghanistan to take immediate and strong action against those who are using Afghan soil for terrorist activities in Pakistan,” she said.
The FO’s remarks came in response to a UN Security Council report that revealed “increased cooperation between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban in cross-border terrorist attacks, particularly against Pakistani military posts.”
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which produced the UN Security Council report, said Pakistan had suffered more than eight hundred attacks in the past few months.
He added that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan is causing increased concern in many UN member states.
The report highlighted that there is increased support and cooperation between the TTP and the Taliban, sharing manpower and training camps in Afghanistan and carrying out more deadly attacks under the banner of Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan.
“According to the report, Al-Qaeda is seeking to strengthen cooperation with regional terrorist organizations of non-Afghan origin such as ETIM/TIP, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Jamaat Ansarullah to expand into Central Asia,” a Radio Pakistan news report said. .
