Pakistani media have reported on a leaked video that allegedly shows an Afghan Taliban commander, identified as Yahya, addressing armed members of Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In the video, Yahya, associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA), is reportedly seen instructing militants to plan an attack on Pakistan’s security forces along the Pak-Afghan border.
Media sources, citing Pakistani forces, indicate the video originated from the Dangar Algad area in Afghanistan. According to Yahya’s directives in the video, the attack would involve six rocket launchers and six assistants, all ready to obey what he referred to as “Mujahideen Amirul Momineen Sheikh Ibadullah.” The militants are also seen expressing their agreement to fight against Pakistan.
As of now, the Taliban in Afghanistan has not commented on the video.
This development comes amid strained relations between the Taliban and Islamabad, exacerbated by the Afghan Taliban’s interim government’s perceived failure to prevent its territory from being used for aggression against Pakistan.
On March 18, Pakistani forces carried out intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost provinces. The Taliban reported that eight civilians were killed in the Pakistani airstrikes. These operations were a response to a March 16 attack in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, which resulted in the deaths of at least seven Pakistan Army soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and a captain.
