The Taliban has relocated at least 320 armed members of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to the northeastern Takhar province.
The Taliban has reportedly initiated the relocation of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members to Afghanistan, with around 320 armed fighters being moved to northeastern Takhar province, local sources revealed.
At least three sources claim the relocation has taken place in the Dashti Qala district after a visit by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister.
The sources reveal that the TTP members, equipped with light and heavy weaponry, were initially transferred to the Kandak Rossa area in Khwaja Ghar district before being relocated to Qum Qeshlaq village in Dashti Qala district.
A local source claims that a convoy of approximately ten cars, carrying armed individuals, arrived at Pangani School in Takhar province at around 11:00 AM on Tuesday, restricting access to locals. Some sources indicate that these individuals have been transferred under “Uruzgan residents,” and their families are expected to join them from southeastern Khost province and Pakistan.
The Taliban spokesperson in Takhar province, Mobeen Safi, denies the claim of TTP members being moved to the province. However, Rana Sanaullah, Pakistan’s interior minister in an interview with VOA Urdu revealed that the Taliban approached Islamabad with a proposal to relocate members of TTP from the border regions of Durand to the other parts of Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Taliban, expressed ignorance at the time, only to later confirm that these people will be transferred “based on the common interests of the two countries to the central, southern, and northern parts of Afghanistan.”
The decision to relocate TTP members to northern Afghanistan has drawn criticism from political and military factions opposed to the Taliban.
The National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, in exile, opposed the move and said that this decision of the Taliban will destabilize the north as it will provide sanctuaries for the TTP fighters and depopulate the local residents in the northern cities.
The armed anti-Taliban group, the National Resistance Front (NRF) believes that this action will worsen security issues and contribute to social and political instability in Afghanistan and the region.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has also criticized the relocation, describing it as a deceptive and dangerous step taken by the Taliban, which they believe will foster division, extremism, and long-lasting terrorism in Afghanistan.