By The South Asia Times

New York - The United Nations has confirmed that Pakistan’s arrested of a senior Daesh (ISIL-K) spokesperson and warned the terrorist Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) violence, and the continued presence of Al-Qaida under Taliban rule intensified in the region.

In its Sixteenth Report of the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, said that Pakistan carried out several high-profile counterterrorism operations in 2025, including the arrest of ISIL-K spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azam on 16 May 2025.

The Monitoring Team said the arrest significantly disrupted ISIL-K’s media, recruitment and operational capabilities, contributing to a decline in the group’s ability to conduct large-scale attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The report states that, taken together with actions by the Afghan de facto authorities, Pakistani counterterrorism measures have degraded ISIL-K’s operational capacity, neutralized key commanders and ideologues, and disrupted multiple planned attacks.

It also notes a sharp reduction in ISIL-K propaganda output in some languages, particularly English, after its flagship publication Voice of Khorasan went offline in June 2025 for several months.

However, the broader security assessment is deeply troubling for Pakistan.

TTP attacks surge, relations with Kabul deteriorate

The Monitoring Team warns that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has sharply intensified its campaign during the reporting period, conducting the majority of its attacks against Pakistani military and state institutions. The report says that despite repeated denials by Taliban authorities in Kabul, the continued harbouring of TTP leadership in Afghanistan and facilitation of its operations have pushed Pakistan-Afghanistan relations to a critical breaking point.

“Escalating attacks against Pakistani targets have led to open hostilities and further deterioration in bilateral relations,” the report notes.

According to UN estimates, more than 600 TTP attacks have taken place in Pakistan in 2025 alone, many of them complex, coordinated operations involving suicide bombers, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), and multi-assailant teams. Although Pakistani security forces thwarted many plots, the frequency and sophistication of attacks have continued to rise, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report highlights a major escalation in January 2025, when TTP issued a directive expanding its list of targets to include “military-owned businesses”, explicitly threatening Pakistan’s economic and security interests as well as Chinese enterprises operating in Pakistan. This was followed by the announcement of TTP’s 2025 spring offensive, dubbed “Al-Khandaq,” on 15 March.

That announcement, issued in five languages and reinforced by a rare video message from TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud, called for jihad against the Pakistani military. It was Mehsud’s first video appearance in two years and outlined planned operations against security installations across Pakistan. The UN report adds that a majority of suicide bombers involved in recent attacks were reported to be Afghan nationals.

Taliban harbouring TTP leadership

The Monitoring Team assesses that TTP maintains a fighting force of around 6,000 militants, spread across Afghanistan’s Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika and Paktiya provinces, along with more than a dozen affiliated factions. Mehsud himself is believed to spend time in Kabul, while also travelling to Kandahar and eastern provinces.

The report reiterates earlier findings that the Taliban continue to provide TTP with logistical, operational and financial support, including reports that Mehsud’s family received a monthly payment of 3 million afghanis (about $43,000). While some Taliban leaders reportedly see TTP as a liability harming relations with Pakistan, others remain ideologically and historically aligned with the group.

“Given the historical ties, the Taliban are unlikely to confront or act against TTP,” the report concludes, adding that even if they wished to do so, they may lack the capacity.

Airstrikes and rising cross-border tensions

Following a series of deadly attacks — including the 7 October 2025 ambush in Kurram that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers — the report notes allegations of Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on 9 and 10 October, including in Paktika province. While reports claimed one strike targeted Noor Wali Mehsud in Kabul, Taliban authorities dismissed this, describing it as a sonic boom. An audio message attributed to Mehsud was released shortly afterward as proof of life.

Al-Qaida still entrenched in Afghanistan

The UN report also rejects Taliban claims that Al-Qaida has no presence in Afghanistan, concluding that the group’s status, strength and locations remain unchanged from previous assessments. Senior Al-Qaida commanders are reportedly living in Kabul, while the Taliban continue to host and tightly manage the group.

Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remains active in southeastern Afghanistan and has increasingly shifted its focus toward Pakistan, with UN estimates placing its strength between 200 and 300 fighters. The report states that AQIS has blended itself with TTP, including through training and operational cooperation.

ISIL-K weakened but resilient

While ISIL-K attacks inside Afghanistan declined in 2025, the group remains resilient, the UN warns. Despite leadership losses and arrests — including that of Sultan Aziz Azam — ISIL-K continues to produce propaganda in multiple languages and may be operating its online infrastructure from outside Afghanistan or via satellite communications.

The Monitoring Team concludes that Pakistan’s arrest of the Daesh spokesman represents a significant counterterrorism success, but cautions that the persistent TTP threat, Taliban-Al-Qaida ties, and cross-border militancy continue to pose grave risks to Pakistan’s security and regional stability.