KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban are relocating families of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members from eastern Nangarhar province to Kabul and northern Afghanistan, local sources report.
According to sources, the transfers are occurring at night using special vehicles from districts in Nangarhar, including Shinwar, Ghani Khel, Kot, Bati Kot, Momand Dara, and Ghoshta. At least two local sources and two Taliban officials confirmed to KabulNow that the relocation is being coordinated by Taliban intelligence.
The process reportedly began after the recent killing of several TTP commanders and members in Kunar province. On Tuesday, Omar Bajaur, a senior TTP commander, was killed along with two others by unidentified gunmen while visiting an Afghan Taliban member in Shigal district of Kunar. Sources indicate that this incident accelerated the relocation efforts.
The exact number of families being moved remains unclear. It is also unknown how many Pakistani Taliban families previously lived in the six mentioned districts or how many have been relocated so far.
Taliban officials in Nangarhar have not yet commented on the situation.
According to Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former Special Envoy for Afghanistan, there are an estimated 6,000 TTP fighters and their families currently residing in Afghanistan.
Social media reports have also suggested that the Taliban, allegedly in coordination with Pakistani intelligence, recently relocated additional TTP families from border areas to Ghazni province.
During a press briefing last Thursday, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, avoided providing a clear response to questions regarding these developments.
The TTP’s presence in Afghanistan has been a persistent point of contention between Islamabad and the Taliban in Kabul, straining relations in recent years. The TTP, ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban, has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces, exacerbating Pakistan’s security challenges.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of harboring TTP members who use Afghan soil to plan and launch attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban, however, deny these claims, stating that they do not allow any group to use Afghan territory for hostile activities against other nations.
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently issued a strong warning to the Taliban, cautioning them not to “test the patience of the Pakistani people” regarding terrorism. This statement signals growing frustration in Islamabad and a decreasing tolerance for groups seen as threatening its national security.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has previously asserted that the Afghan Taliban are not responsible for Pakistan’s internal security issues.
The relocation of TTP families highlights ongoing tensions in the region and raises further questions about the Taliban’s role in managing the presence of extremist groups within Afghanistan’s borders.
