These areas include Karizgi, Kata Sang, Tanaucha, Qasim Kali, and Surkh Bid in Shah Wali Kot district, which are more than 100 kilometres from the Pakistani border.
Speaking to local sources, Afghanistan International has learned that the entry of ordinary people into these villages has been banned, but large vehicles are plying in these areas for construction. Local residents have confirmed that non-locals live in these areas with their families.
Locals claim that the behaviour, dressing style, and even language of these people is different from those of the indigenous people. A local elder in Shah Wali Kot told Afghanistan International, "These people have been here for a long time. They have nothing to do with ordinary people and do not talk to anyone. They have different faces, they all have long hair and speak different accents among themselves."
Drivers on the Kandahar-Uruzgan highway also said that sometimes these unidentified armed individuals appear on the side of the highway. "These unknown people block the road with chains every week or every two weeks and take money from people," said Azizullah, one of the drivers on the route. These fighters are monitoring vehicles and people, he added.
With the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Pakistani militants have emerged in areas that have been the battlegrounds for the past twenty years. Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters, who took refuge in the tribal areas during the war with the Afghan government and NATO forces, have now returned to their areas, bringing with them their "former and current guests" of Pakistan.
Pakistani militants who fought alongside the Haqqani Network in Paktia consider Khost, Paktia and Paktika to be safe areas for their presence. However, those who took part in the major battles in Kandahar have settled in this province sporadically.
The militants are now clashing with Pakistani security forces and have carried out bloody attacks in the country.
Khalid Pashtoon, a former Kandahar MP in Afghanistan's parliament, told Afghanistan International that TTP militants and their commanders live with their families in Nish District in addition to Shah Wali Kot.
"These militants have been transferred to areas far beyond the Durand Line at the request and pressure of Pakistan," he added. This area is the best place to live and hide. "TTP members have been deployed in the area only to protect the safety of their families, while their young fighters continue to go to the Durand Line and participate in battles with the help, equipping and guidance of the Afghan Taliban," sources said.
In May 2022, Pakistan called on the Taliban to remove Pakistani militants from the border between the two countries. Then, Islamabad sent Chinese diplomats to Kandahar and tried to inform Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada about the sensitivity of this issue. The Taliban also took note of this issue and offered two areas in Afghanistan to Pakistani fighters: one in the north and the other in the south.
Afghanistan International's findings show that the Haqqani group was trying to transfer Pakistani fighters and their families to northern Afghanistan, especially around the Qosh Tapa Canal, and to hand over the canal's land to them. However, the attempt failed due to opposition from local residents, and TTP fighters refused to go there.
‘Shah Wali Kot: A Strategic Point’
Ultimately, the Taliban accommodated the militants and their families in Shah Wali Kot in Kandahar, which is considered a hotspot due to its geographical location. In addition to access to other districts of Kandahar, this district also has access to Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, Daikundi, and Ghazni provinces.
These shelters were not a problem for Pakistan until some time ago. However, with the start of TTP's activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and the acquisition of advanced weapons by Baloch militants, the country has now realised the sensitivity of this region as well.
In late December 2024, Pakistan's former special representative for Afghanistan implicitly confirmed in an interview that the TTP's hideouts are located in Kandahar.
‘Mir Ali's Agreement & Afghan Taliban's Commitment’
The deep religious beliefs, family ties and historical connections that developed during the Afghan war have created a deep bond between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. Sources among the Pakistani Taliban told Afghanistan International that Pakistani militants have an agreement with the Afghan Taliban called "Mir Ali", which was signed before the fall of Kabul in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.
In this agreement, the Afghan Taliban have pledged to cooperate with the Pakistani Taliban to establish an Islamic system in Pakistan after coming to power.
"The Afghan Taliban's assistance to the TTP is based on the mutual cooperation and commitments that have been made between them during the 20 years of war in Afghanistan," Khalid Pashtoon said about the link.
In recent months, the bodies of the Afghan Taliban have been transferred from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the southern provinces and even Farah and Badghis and handed over to their families, he added. The militants were killed in clashes with Pakistani forces.
Gen. Sami Sadat, a former army commander, told Afghanistan International, "The Afghan Taliban are helping the TTP with military and financial equipment. Some of them even join the TTP and are killed in battles."
‘Difficult Position’
The Afghan Taliban, who enjoyed broad support from Pakistan during their two decades of war against the previous government, are in a difficult position. The Taliban does not want to lose Pakistan's support, as many Afghan Taliban leaders and families are still based in Pakistan and can return to their sanctuaries in Pakistan in case of any crisis in Afghanistan.
Now, Pakistan has repeatedly called for a crackdown on and curbs on the activities of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan. However, if the Afghan Taliban contain the Pakistani Taliban, on the one hand, it will lose its most important allies, and on the other hand, there will be discord among the Afghan Taliban.
In addition to Pakistan's pressures, the Afghan Taliban is also facing international criticism and pressure. In the Doha agreement that the Taliban signed with the United States in 2020, the group pledged not to allow Afghan soil to be used as a base for militant attacks on other countries, including Pakistan. However, the Afghan Taliban's support for the TTP and similar groups has called into question this commitment and raised global concerns.
If the Taliban fail to strike a balance between their relations with the militants and the expectations of Pakistan and the international community, it could have dire consequences for the group, analysts say.
One concern is that Pakistan and other countries are helping to topple the Taliban government, which is suffering from discord, lack of resources and international isolation.
Pakistani officials have recently accused the Afghan Taliban of colluding with India. In the past, close ties between Kabul and Delhi have led Pakistan to support Afghan insurgents against the central government.
If insurgent attacks from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province spread to other parts of Pakistan and cause widespread unrest in the country, it is not unlikely that Pakistan will take advantage of the old scenario to fend off the threat of the Afghan Taliban.
Distrust between the two longtime allies has grown. Now, the Afghan Taliban feel that Islamabad supports ISIS, and anti-Pakistan sentiment has intensified among Taliban officials.
