The scripts coming out of Kabul lately aren’t just fiction; they are dangerous delusions designed to mask a blood-soaked reality. When Zabiullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, takes to the airwaves to accuse Pakistan of supporting Da’esh and relocating terrorists from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one has to wonder: how much longer can a regime survive on a diet of such blatant disinformation? Behind the frantic finger-pointing lies a cynical strategy to use the specter of Da’esh (ISKP) to distract the world from the very real, very active sanctuary they provide to the TTP, also known as the Fitna al-Khawarij.
The evidence doesn’t come from rumors; it comes from the cold, hard findings of the international community. While the de facto authorities in Afghanistan continue to look into the cameras and deny that any terrorist groups have a presence on their soil, the United Nations has a much different account. As recently as the 37th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, 2026, the UN was explicit: “In Afghanistan, the de facto authorities continued to provide a permissive environment for a range of terrorist groups, notably Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”
Why does the Taliban regime think they can lie to a world that is watching through satellite feeds and intelligence briefings? Is it purely for internal consumption, or is it an attempt to provide diplomatic cover for their proxies?
The UN reports from late 2025 and early 2026 paint a portrait of a terrorist “department store” operating out of eastern Afghanistan. Whether it is Al Qaeda, ISIL-K, or the TTP, the environment under the current Kabul administration remains “permissive.” Formal UN Resolution 2777, adopted in March 2025, has already reaffirmed the gravity of this threat. Yet, instead of honoring their counterterrorism commitments, the Afghan Taliban have chosen to propagate fantasies—from the laughable claim of capturing “Pakistani tanks” (which were actually antique Afghan T-55s) to the sinister allegation that Pakistan supports the very Da’esh entities that have been murdering its own civilians.
There is a deeper, more troubling coordination at play. The Afghan Taliban often try to pretend that Al Qaeda, ISKP, and Fitna al-Khawarij are entirely different species, but analysts know better. These organizations draw from the same dark pool of recruits, trained and indoctrinated in the same Afghan madrassahs. They share financiers, use the same smuggling routes, and benefit from a global terror-crime nexus. When Da’esh accepts responsibility for a barbaric attack in Pakistan, and Kabul responds by blaming Islamabad, it signals a “sinister intent.” It suggests that Kabul is acting not as a responsible neighbor, but as a submissive partner to a regional hegemon—the same aspiring power that has been recently humiliated on both the diplomatic and military fronts.
Could it be that the Afghan Taliban’s lies are not just about protecting their ideological kin, but about serving the interests of New Delhi’s proxy war? By attempting to label ISKP as a Pakistani project, they hope to wash their hands of the Fitna al-Khawarij (TTP) that strikes into Pakistan from Afghan soil. But the blood of Pakistani security forces and civilians provides “foolproof evidence” of where these threats truly emanate from.
While Pakistan moves decisively with operations like Radd-ul-Fitna to secure its own borders and dismantle the networks of the abettors and financiers, the regime in Kabul continues to deflect from its basic responsibilities. It is a desperate play for time. They can deny the TTP’s presence all they want, but as long as UN records from February 2026 list Afghanistan as a safe haven, those denials remain a grotesque insult to the victims of cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan has made its stance clear: the region must be terror-free. It is time for Kabul to decide if it wants to be a legitimate state or remain a high-end landlord for a variety of terrorist franchises. The world sees the sanctuary; Pakistan feels the violence. No amount of Afghan Taliban disinformation can change the fact that they are sheltering a monster that will eventually turn on the hand that feeds it.
How long before Kabul realizes that the “shadow” of terrorism they cast over their neighbors is long enough to cover them as well?
The Mask Slips: Nikhil Gupta’s Guilty Plea Vindicates Pakistan’s Warnings on Indian Terror
