Pakistani Official Warns of Further Strikes if Attacks From Afghan Soil Continue

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid described the figures and their sources as inaccurate. He said no such groups were present in the country and insisted Afghanistan is under unified authority, making it impossible for outside groups to operate.

In a statement issued on 23 February, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said the total number of fighters from international militant organisations in Afghanistan was estimated at between 20,000 and 23,000, with more than half of them foreign nationals.

The report said the largest militant group in Afghanistan was Islamic State Khorasan Province, with about 3,000 members. It also estimated that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had between 5,000 and 7,000 members in Afghanistan, al-Qaida between 400 and 1,500, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement between 300 and 1,200, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, now known as the Turkestan Islamic Party, between 150 and 500, and Jamaat Ansarullah between 150 and 250.

The Russian ministry said the only group actively operating against the Taliban authorities was Islamic State Khorasan Province, which it said maintains training camps, bases and sleeper cells in Afghanistan.

According to the report, the group is mainly based in eastern, northern and north-eastern Afghanistan and seeks in the long term to expand into Central Asia to establish what it described as an Islamic caliphate. It added that, based on the scale and intensity of its attacks, the group does not pose a direct threat to the Taliban authorities but aims to undermine confidence in their ability to maintain stability and public order.

Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban authorities.

According to a ministry statement, Muttaqi said similar Pakistani attacks over the past four years had targeted only civilians.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Taliban Foreign Ministry, wrote on X on Tuesday that Muttaqi said no armed individuals whom Pakistan claimed were present and targeted were killed in the latest strikes. He said this showed Pakistan’s claims were unfounded.

Muttaqi also said there are no armed groups operating in Afghanistan and that diplomats and other parties are free to visit the site of the strike to assess the situation.

The ministry said DiCarlo expressed sympathy over the reported killing of civilians and said she would raise the issue with UN member states and other relevant parties.

Dawar said the Taliban are seeking to create the impression that they oppose the Pakistani army, but argued that, in reality, no outcome would serve the army’s interests more.

He described the Taliban as a proxy force that, in his view, lacks independent thinking.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Dawar said he believes the Taliban remain under the control of Islamabad.

He added that if Pakistan’s government wished, it could still exert control over the Afghan Taliban, who hold power in Kabul, as well as over the Pakistani Taliban.

Several Afghan families told Afghanistan International that they fled human rights abuses after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021 but now face harsh conditions in one of the most remote refugee camps in East Africa.

Refugees say access to food, clean drinking water, healthcare and education is limited. Employment opportunities are scarce, and families depend largely on humanitarian assistance that they describe as insufficient. Many children are growing up without consistent schooling, while young people say they see little prospect of a stable future.

One refugee said unidentified groups have assaulted camp residents and stolen mobile phones. A former member of Afghanistan’s security forces, now in Kenya, said criminal gangs sometimes attack tents at night or intercept refugees during the day to steal their belongings. He criticised what he described as inadequate attention by UN agencies to refugees’ security and basic needs.

Refugees also described severe psychological strain. Having escaped violence in Afghanistan, they now face prolonged uncertainty, lengthy resettlement procedures and limited information about their future. Many fear they have been overlooked by the international community.

Kakuma, established in 1992 in Turkana County, is one of Africa’s largest refugee camps. It hosts tens of thousands of refugees from countries including Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan who have fled conflict and persecution.

Afghan refugees in the camp are calling on the United Nations, humanitarian organisations and donor countries to urgently review their situation. They are seeking increased humanitarian assistance, faster and fairer resettlement processes, improved access to education and livelihoods, and stronger protection measures.

Mohammad Sadiq said he held talks with Ismatilla Irgashev on the security challenges facing neighbouring countries, citing what he described as the Taliban’s hosting of militant groups.

In a post on X, Sadiq said that, according to reports, more than 2,500 Uzbek militants are based in Afghanistan. He claimed they likely constitute the second-largest militant group in the country after Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have deteriorated further following Pakistan’s recent airstrikes in Nangarhar Province and Paktika Province. Pakistan said the strikes targeted fighters linked to the TTP and Islamic State-Khorasan and killed at least 70 militants.

The Taliban said the airstrikes hit civilian areas. The United Nations said at least 13 civilians were killed and seven wounded in a strike in Nangarhar and reported no civilian casualties in Paktika.

Although Uzbekistan maintains close political and economic ties with the Taliban authorities, Central Asian countries have repeatedly voiced concern about the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan. Reports by the United Nations Security Council have confirmed the presence of several armed groups in the country, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.