Denmark has alerted the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) about the growing threat of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), warning that the group’s expanding presence in Central and South Asia could destabilize the region. Danish envoy Sandra Jensen Landi said nearly 6,000 TTP fighters are currently operating from Afghanistan with direct support from the de facto Afghan authorities.
Speaking as chair of the UN sanctions committee on ISIL and Al-Qaeda, Landi stressed that these militants have carried out major attacks on Pakistan from across the border. She also highlighted rising dangers from ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K), which now has about 2,000 fighters targeting Afghan officials, Shia communities, and foreign nationals. She noted that Daesh-linked groups in Africa, including ISWAP, are also expanding.
Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon backed Denmark’s concerns, reminding the UNSC of Pakistan’s heavy sacrifices over 80,000 lives lost and major economic damage. He said groups including TTP, ISIL-K, BLA, and the Majeed Brigade continue to operate freely under Afghan patronage. Jadoon urged that the UN’s 1267 sanctions regime must be transparent, fair, and aligned with ground realities.
Pakistan Afghanistan Talks Stuck
Meanwhile, peace talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul have stalled. Despite Turkish mediation, Kabul has refused to provide written guarantees or present a clear plan to dismantle TTP hideouts. Pakistani officials said their demands were “logical and legitimate,” focused on verified action to stop cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan Keeps Border Closed
Pakistan has extended the closure of its border crossings with Afghanistan indefinitely, signalling that trade will not resume until the Taliban government takes “verifiable and irreversible” action against TTP. The month-long closure has left thousands of trucks stranded, severely affecting trade and regional transit routes. Only one-way humanitarian passage remains open for Afghan refugees and stranded individuals.
Border Tensions Escalate
Tensions surged on October 12 when Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan borders. Pakistan Army retaliated swiftly, destroying several Afghan posts and killing many Afghan soldiers and militants. Security sources said the firing was aimed at helping banned TTP fighters referred to as Khwarij by the state cross into Pakistan.
