ISLAMABAD — Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that dozens of militant groups are operating from Afghanistan and using territory under Taliban control.
In an interview with Al Arabiya English on September 16, the Pakistan Army spokesperson said groups including al-Qaeda, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are operating in Afghanistan. He said that Afghan territory is being used for recruitment, training and planning attacks against Pakistan and elsewhere in the region.
Chaudhry said Pakistan would continue counterterrorism operations against attacks that it attributes to militants operating from Afghan territory. He also said Islamabad considers protecting its citizens part of its right to self-defense.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns about militant activity along its western border. In a September 2 briefing, the Foreign Office said Pakistan attributes an external dimension of terrorism inside the country to support and assistance from elements in Afghanistan, including the Taliban authorities.
The Taliban authorities have rejected allegations that Afghan territory is being used against neighboring countries, while Pakistan continues to press Kabul to prevent militant groups from operating from Afghan soil.
The issue remains a major point of tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with security concerns affecting relations between the two sides.