KABUL – Taliban authorities have reportedly agreed to take steps against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including disarming its members and relocating them away from the Pakistan border, following high-level talks with a visiting Pakistani delegation in Kabul.
Sources told Aaj News that the understanding was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, which lasted over two hours and focused on cross-border militancy and its impact on regional security.
According to the sources, the Taliban have initiated a “phased process” to disarm TTP fighters and plan to move them to Ghazni and other remote areas, away from border regions where they have been accused of staging attacks in Pakistan.
During the talks, Pakistani officials urged the Taliban to act decisively against TTP elements operating from Afghanistan soil.
“We are tired of carrying funerals,” the delegation reportedly told the Taliban side.
Haqqani assured Pakistan of cooperation but cautioned that the process would take time.
The Taliban delegation also stated that their forces have arrested several individuals linked to recent TTP attacks in Pakistan, with a significant number already in custody.
Islamabad has long alleged that the TTP operates from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban of providing shelter and arms to the group, a charge the Taliban have repeatedly denied.
However, since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as TTP fighters intensify their campaign along the border.
While the exact number of TTP fighters and their families residing in Afghanistan remains uncertain, Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has estimated the figure at around 6,000.
