5k TTP Terrorists In Afghanistan: UN
United Nations, Feb 9: The United Nations has said the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has about 5000 fighters in Afghanistan, according to media report on Wednesday. The UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team sent its 29th report to the UN Security Council warning a Taliban-run “Afghanistan has the potential to become a safe haven for Al Qaeda and a number of terror groups with ties to the Central Asia region and beyond”.
According to Dawn, the report has described the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan as “the most significant event” in the country’s recent history, which will have far-reaching implications for all. It further said that TTP among several groups have had close relations with major terrorist groups in the region, including the Taliban, Al Qaeda and IS-K.
“The number of TTP fighters at between 3,000 and 5,500 in Afghanistan, with Noor Wali Mehsud remaining as their leader,” the report highlighted. Dawn quoted the report as stating that despite a strong denial by the Taliban, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), led by Osama Mehmood and his deputy Atif Yahya Ghouri, “retains a presence in Afghanistan”. The TTP had founght along with the Taliban against the civilian Afghan government in provinces — Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika and Zabul, the UN added.
