Security and diplomatic sources have informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban are planning to relocate members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from border areas to other provinces in Afghanistan.
This decision comes after months of negotiations between the Taliban, Pakistan, and China.
According to the sources, the Taliban in Afghanistan are attempting to move TTP fighters from areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, particularly in Khost province, to other provinces in Afghanistan.
However, the TTP has expressed concerns about the Taliban's decision to relocate their fighters, and discussions on this matter are still ongoing.
This decision follows recent attacks in Pakistan and an attack on Chinese citizens in Besham, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.
In the nearly three years since the Taliban took over the power in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government has repeatedly accused them of harbouring Pakistani Taliban fighters. Reports also indicate that senior TTP members and many of their fighters are present in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban have repeatedly denied these accusations.
It now appears that the Afghan Taliban are willing to relocate Pakistani Taliban fighters from border provinces to other provinces within Afghanistan. Although it is not clear to which provinces these fighters will be moved, earlier reports suggested that the Taliban plan to resettle them in northern and western provinces of Afghanistan.
In May 2023, a senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Turkey's Anadolu news agency that Islamabad had reached an agreement with the Taliban's Ministry of Interior to relocate Pakistani Taliban fighters from the border to western Afghanistan.
At that time, Anadolu Agency reported that Pakistan would fund this relocation.
The spokesperson for the Hezb-e Junbish Milli Party also previously stated that the relocation of TTP to northern provinces would turn these areas into another Gaza.
