UN report warns of outlawed TTP's threat to neighbours

A recent UN report said the TTP and other groups were providing Nato-calibre weapons to the IS

(Web Desk) – The United Nations has termed the outlawed Pakistani terrorist outfit the Tehreek-i-Tali¬ban (TTP) a threat to its neighbours.

A recent UN report said the TTP and other groups affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda were providing Nato-calibre weapons to the Islamic State (IS) group, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh. These groups jointly pose serious threats to the countries in conflict zone.

Two UN counter-terrorism officials told the Secu¬rity Council on Friday that while the TTP has a history of attacking targets inside Pakistan, the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group has also recently carried out attacks inside Pakistan, including on a JUI-F convention in July that killed 40 people and injured more than 100.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, however, rejected the claims as ‘unfounded.’ In a response posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, he claimed that since the Taliban takeover, “activities of the Daesh group in Afghanistan have been reduced to zero.”

He said that those who were “spreading such undocumented and negative propaganda” about terrorist activities in Afghanistan “either lack information or want to use this propaganda to give a moral boost to Daesh and its cause”.

Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT), and Natalia Ghe¬rman, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Com¬m¬i¬ttee, briefed the UN Security Council, after presenting the 17th report of the secretary general on the threat posed by Daesh to global peace and security.

According to the report, Nato-calibre weapons, typically associated with the former Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, were “being transferred to IS-K by groups affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, such as TTP and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

“With the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, (UN) member states expressed concern over the proliferation of large quantities of weapons and other military equipment within Afghanistan and into neighbouring states,” the report added.

Voronkov told the council that the situation in Afghanistan was growing increasingly complex, as fears of weapons and ammunition falling in the hands of terrorists were now materializing.

IS-K’s “in-country operational capabilities” have reportedly increased, with the group “becoming more sophisticated in its attacks against the Taliban and international targets, he said.

The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee warned that “the presence and activity of some 20 different terrorist groups in Afghanistan, combined with the repressive measures by the Taliban de facto authorities, the absence of sustainable development and a dire humanitarian situation, pose significant challenges for the region and beyond.” Voronkov added.

He, however, said that the international community has weakened IS by successfully targeting its finances.

Ms Gherman urged member states to bring terrorists to justice, and to demonstrate international cooperation in efforts to do so, she said.