The Pakistani army warned on Tuesday of a major deterioration in the security situation in Afghanistan, stating that the country was becoming a "hub for terrorists and non-state actors." At a press conference in Islamabad, military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhryaccused the Afghan Taliban authorities of tolerating, or even supporting, militant groups such as Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State organization and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the military official, approximately 2,500 foreign fighters have recently entered Afghanistan from Syria, following the fall of the former Syrian president. Bashar al-AssadHe claimed, without providing evidence, that these militants had been invited to settle in Afghanistan and that they were neither Pakistani nor Afghan, but of other nationalities, which would pose a security threat extending beyond the region's borders.
No official reaction was immediately recorded in Kabul. Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban since 2021, has consistently rejected Pakistani accusations that its territory serves as a rear base for attacks against Pakistan. Afghan and Indian authorities also deny any involvement in supporting armed groups operating against Islamabad.
These statements come a day after Pakistan and China jointly called for "visible and verifiable" measures to eliminate militant organizations operating from Afghan territory and prevent its use for cross-border attacks. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated significantly in recent months, marked by exchanges of airstrikes and sporadic military tensions.
In October, the two countries narrowly avoided a wider escalation after Pakistani airstrikes targeted what Islamabad described as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan hideouts in Afghanistan. Kabul retaliated by targeting Pakistani military posts before a ceasefire was brokered under Qatari mediation.
The army spokesman also indicated that Pakistani forces had killed 2,597 militants in 2025, compared to 1,053 the previous year, while the number of attacks claimed by armed groups had increased from 3,014 in 2024 to 5,397 in 2025. He asserted that Afghan nationals were involved in almost all of the major attacks perpetrated in Pakistan last year, highlighting, in his view, the scale of the security challenge facing the country.
