NEW YORK: Denmark has warned the United Nations Security Council that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan poses a serious and growing threat across Central and South Asia, citing what it described as logistical and material support provided to the group from within Afghanistan.
Addressing the council as chair of the ISIL and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, Denmark’s Deputy Permanent Representative Sandra Jensen Landi told members that an estimated 6,000 TTP fighters were active in Afghanistan and responsible for major attacks inside Pakistan. She said the group’s operational freedom, combined with its support networks, represented a destabilising force for the wider region.
Landi also briefed the council on the evolving security landscape, warning of a resurgence of ISIL-Khorasan, which she said had at least 2,000 fighters targeting Afghan authorities, Shia communities and foreign nationals. She added that Daesh affiliates had expanded their footprint in Africa while continuing to exploit social media and cryptocurrencies to raise funds and recruit.
Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon echoed Denmark’s concerns, stressing that militant groups including ISIL-K, TTP and its affiliates, the BLA and the Majeed Brigade continued to operate from Afghan territory. Pakistan, he said, had suffered more than 80,000 casualties in its fight against terrorism and wanted the UN sanctions regime to respond to current realities with objective and transparent listings.
The warning came as Pakistan’s talks with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul stalled, with Islamabad seeking written guarantees and verifiable steps to dismantle the TTP network. Turkish officials attempted to mediate but Afghan representatives refused to provide commitments beyond verbal assurances, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
A senior Pakistani security source said the proposals Islamabad presented were “clear, specific and non-negotiable”, adding that the Taliban delegation was unwilling to accept the measures required to curb cross border attacks.
With no progress, Pakistan extended its closure of border crossings with Afghanistan, halting trade for more than a month and leaving thousands of trucks stranded. Officials said crossings would not reopen until Kabul undertakes “verifiable and irreversible” action against anti-Pakistan militants.
The border tensions escalated sharply after deadly clashes on October 12, when Afghan Taliban forces opened fire at several points along the frontier in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Pakistan responded with heavy retaliatory fire, destroying multiple Afghan posts and killing dozens of soldiers and militants, security officials said. The attacks, they added, were aimed at facilitating the entry of TTP fighters into Pakistani territory.
Pakistan has long accused the Taliban administration of sheltering TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. Relations between the two sides have deteriorated further since the TTP ended a ceasefire in 2022 and intensified attacks inside Pakistan.
The deadlock has also affected bilateral engagement, with the Afghan Taliban suspending trade ties after talks collapsed. Mediators Turkiye and Qatar briefly revived dialogue, but a final round on November 7 again ended without agreement, prompting Pakistan to declare that discussions on countering cross border terrorism had entered an “indefinite phase”.
The unresolved standoff has added another strain to an already volatile region, with the UN now warning that militant networks continue to adapt and expand as state responses falter.
