The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Tajikistani militant group Jamaat Ansarullah (JA) have set up training camps in Afghanistan with support from Al Qaeda and the Taliban, according to a report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, cited by the Long War Journal.
These camps, in addition to facilities operated by Al Qaeda, were identified in the latest UN report on Afghanistan, released on Feb. 13. The report found that TTP and JA have established new training sites in Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika, and Takhar provinces, while Al Qaeda and its affiliates now operate in 14 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces—an increase from 12 provinces in previous assessments.
The findings contradict repeated claims by the Taliban-led government in Kabul that it does not harbor or support foreign militant groups. The TTP has carried out attacks in Pakistan, while JA is dedicated to overthrowing the government of Tajikistan. Al Qaeda remains a transnational terrorist organization that supports jihadist movements worldwide, the Long War Journal reported.
The UN report noted that the TTP has “established new training centers in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika (Barmal) Provinces while enhancing recruitment within TTP cadres, including from the Afghan Taliban.” As of mid-2023, Al Qaeda was reportedly training and providing ideological guidance to TTP fighters, including in suicide bombing camps in Kunar.
The Long War Journal also highlighted the role of the Haqqani Network, an Al Qaeda-linked faction within the Taliban, in supporting these militant activities. The Haqqani Network, led by Sirajuddin Haqqani—who serves as both the Taliban’s deputy leader and Afghanistan’s interior minister—operates in Khost and Paktika, where newly identified TTP and Al Qaeda facilities are based. The report described the Haqqanis as both Pakistani-backed and TTP-allied, despite the TTP’s continued attacks on Pakistan.
According to the UN, the scale of TTP operations against Pakistan has grown significantly, with over 600 attacks recorded during the latest reporting period, including some launched from Afghan soil. The Taliban has provided the TTP with logistical and financial support, the report said, including a monthly payment of approximately $43,000 to the group’s leader, Noor Wali Mehsud.
TTP’s leadership has pledged allegiance to the Taliban’s supreme leader, and the group claims to be part of the Taliban’s self-declared “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” The TTP previously fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against U.S. and former Afghan government forces and continues to maintain a presence in eastern Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Jamaat Ansarullah, often referred to as the “Tajik Taliban,” has reportedly established training camps in Khost Province, where Al Qaeda engineers and weapons specialists provide instruction. The group has also set up a special military center in Takhar Province’s Kalafgan district to train Central Asian and Arab fighters.
Additionally, JA has formed a unit known as “Ansar,” based in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan. The unit’s mission is believed to be cross-border infiltration into Tajikistan. The group has also participated in joint operations with the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Badakhshan Province’s Faizabad district, deploying suicide bombers from the Lashkar-e-Mansouri Battalion to fight anti-Taliban resistance forces.
