KABUL: Pakistani security sources have claimed that 260 Afghan nationals were killed inside Pakistan while fighting alongside the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during the ongoing conflict.
According to the sources, the identities and personal details of all 260 individuals have been documented, with names, photographs and other information provided to media. The sources claim that the figure represents only those Afghan nationals whose identities could be fully established.
The security sources further said that the bodies were transported back to the individuals’ home villages in Afghanistan, where they were buried. They also claimed that officials associated with the Taliban administration took part in some of the burial ceremonies.
The sources did not provide a publicly verifiable list of the 260 individuals in the information available for this report. The claim also could not be independently verified.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused the TTP of maintaining bases and recruiting fighters in Afghanistan, while Taliban authorities have rejected allegations that Afghan territory is being used to facilitate attacks against Pakistan.
The reported figure comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban administration over cross-border militancy. Pakistan has said attacks by the TTP originating from Afghan territory remain a major security concern.
The Pakistani sources emphasized that the reported figure of 260 does not represent the total number of Afghans who may have been killed while fighting with the TTP. They said the number of fighters whose identities remain unknown is not available.
Further independent verification of the identities, circumstances of death and alleged links to the TTP would be required to establish the full scale of the claim.