KABUL / Afghanistan – A new United Nations Security Council report has reaffirmed that international terrorist groups continue to operate freely across Afghanistan, with key leaders of Al-Qaeda and Uyghur militant movements present in the country and, in some cases, expanding their activities with Taliban acquiescence.
According to the Sixteenth Report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council under resolution 2763 (2024), the Al-Qaeda affiliate known as Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) maintains a significant presence in Afghanistan. The report identifies Osama Mahmood as the “Emir” (leader) of AQIS and Yahya Ghori as his deputy in Kabul. The group’s media operations are reportedly based in Herat province in western Afghanistan.
The Monitoring Team noted that AQIS remains active in southeastern provinces, particularly in areas where the Haqqani Network retains deep influence. It also states that the group continues to function as a provider of training, advisory support, and logistics to other armed networks, especially the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Despite repeated Taliban assertions that no foreign terrorist organizations operate within Afghanistan, the UN report emphasizes that such claims are not credible, citing ongoing attacks by TTP fighters operating from Afghan territory. The report states: “The ruling authorities effectively deny the presence or activity of any terrorist groups on Afghan soil. This claim is not credible.” These attacks have strained relations with neighboring Pakistan and illustrate the continuing permissive environment for extremist groups under Taliban rule.
The UN report also highlights the presence and movements of Uyghur militant organizations, including the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP). These groups, composed primarily of Uyghur fighters, are reported to move freely within Afghanistan and, according to one UN member state, have even received identity documents from Taliban authorities. The Monitoring Team notes their growing concentration in Badakhshan province in the northeast.
According to the report, some members of ETIM and TIP have reportedly joined Taliban police forces in 2025, reflecting how militant networks have blurred into official security structures. Member states have also reported that these groups are financing themselves through opium poppy cultivation and mineral extraction, while urging fighters in Syria and neighboring regions to prepare for a return to Xinjiang for jihad, signaling possible future regional operations.
The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported in its February 13 (1267) report that Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, the emir of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), resides in Kabul while continuing to direct the group’s fighters in Syria. Despite living in Afghanistan, Haq reportedly maintains firm control over the Syrian branch of ETIM/TIP (Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement/Turkistan Islamic Party).
According to the report, TIP fighters in Syria operate under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Al-Qaeda-linked group that seized Damascus and formed a government. The Syrian TIP forces are led by a commander known as Kaiwusair, whose deputies were appointed by Haq in March 2024. The group maintains most of its fighters in Syria—estimated between 800 and 3,000 combatants—while keeping its headquarters in Afghanistan. The UN noted that the number of fighters could increase following HTS’s military gains.
One UN member state claimed Haq directed frequent movement of fighters between Afghanistan and the Middle East, although another member state said there was no evidence to confirm this.
The report also states that TIP receives financial support from HTS, operates businesses in regional countries including Türkiye to raise funds, and provides increasingly sophisticated training to foreign fighters.
The TIP has long been aligned with Al-Qaeda. Abdul Haq, also known as Maimaitiming Maimaiti, became the group’s leader in 2003 after the death of its founder. He previously helped run a training camp in Afghanistan linked to Osama bin Laden and later reestablished camps in Pakistan. He has served on Al-Qaeda’s senior leadership (shura) council since 2005 and has been sanctioned by both the United States and the United Nations for involvement in fundraising, recruitment, propaganda, and terrorist planning.
His continued presence in Kabul contradicts Taliban claims that Afghanistan is not hosting foreign terrorist fighters or serving as a base for international terrorist groups.
The UN team’s findings arrive amid growing international concern that Afghanistan has become a safe haven for multiple violent extremist organizations — including AQIS, TTP, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIL-K), and Turkistan groups — that are operating, recruiting and planning beyond Afghan borders, despite Taliban claims to the contrary.
In response, diplomacy at the Security Council has focused on extending the Monitoring Team’s mandate to continue oversight of sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes aimed at curbing these groups’ activities.
China and several other Security Council members have repeatedly labelled ETIM and TIP as terrorist organizations, calling on Taliban authorities to act against them. Beijing has expressed particular concern over reports of Uyghur militants using Afghan territory as a base for planning operations in and around Xinjiang province.
