Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Chief of Staff of the Taliban Army, has stated that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) controls areas within Pakistan and plans and executes its operations from there.
Fitrat mentioned that Pakistan has not provided any evidence of the TTP’s presence in Afghanistan. According to this senior Taliban military official, TTP operates from Pakistan and has control over certain regions there.
He added that Pakistan has no proof that the group is present in Afghanistan or that it conducts its operations against Pakistan from Afghan soil. Fitrat emphasised that the Taliban does not allow the TTP to carry out operations against Pakistan from Afghan territory.
Fitrat remarked, “Pakistan should not repeatedly place the blame for its shortcomings on Afghanistan, and we certainly reject these claims. The TTP is not funded or equipped from here.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a day after a series of coordinated insurgent attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan, which resulted in over 70 fatalities, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that they have undeniable evidence of foreign involvement in these attacks.
Regarding the presence of ISIS, this Taliban’s senior military official responded to questions about reports of ISIS activity in Afghanistan, stating that ISIS has no physical presence anywhere in the country. He acknowledged that while ISIS may conduct destructive operations in some areas, it is not in Afghanistan and could be in “other regions”. He added, “ISIS’s presence in Afghanistan is entirely false and baseless.”
Fitrat also criticised the agreement between Uzbekistan and the US concerning helicopters and military aircraft of the former Afghan army, stating that the US should not be generous in this regard. He said that the Taliban considers these aircraft to be their property and will use any means necessary to obtain them, urging Uzbekistan not to accept such deals.
Apart from this, Fitrat stated that Afghanistan’s airspace has been repeatedly violated in the past, and the Taliban has attempted to prevent further violations through diplomatic means. He mentioned that the Taliban’s Defence Ministry has been working on this issue and that Afghanistan’s airspace will soon be fully under the group's control.
Meanwhile, Fitrat noted that occasional conflicts occur due to “violations by neighbouring countries,” and the Taliban have had to respond. He said efforts are being made to control these clashes through committees and coordination centres, aiming to reduce them to zero in the coming year.
In a briefing about the Taliban’s Defence Ministry’s organisation, Fitrat revealed that the number of army members has grown from 100,000 to over 180,000. He added that the army’s personnel will continue to increase according to needs, potentially exceeding 200,000.
