The BRICS TimesTTP conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan has escalated sharply. Border exchanges saw heavy losses. TTP demands Islamic rule in Pakistan. Issues around Durand Line and Pashtun rights also fuel the tension. In recent months, TTP attacks have grown.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen rising tensions along their shared border. On Saturday night, both sides engaged in heavy gunfire. The Taliban government claims it “killed 58 Pakistani soldiers.” Meanwhile, Pakistan says it “has killed more than 200 Taliban fighters,” while losing 23 soldiers and 29 injured. The Taliban said this was in response to Pakistan’s incursions into Afghan territory and airspace.
The conflict between the two is widely attributed to the TTP conflict, known as the Pakistani Taliban. But the roots of the Afghanistan-Pakistan clash go back nearly 130 years. Core issues include the Durand Line boundary, harboring of TTP militants, and the Pashtun freedom demand. After the Taliban took power, the confrontation intensified. Let’s look at the three driving factors in detail…
What is the Durand Line?
In 1893, the British drew a 2,640 km border between Afghanistan and India (now Pakistan). This boundary, called the Durand Line, is named after Sir Mortimer Durand. It split Pashtun tribes in two — half ended up in Pakistan, half in Afghanistan. The Afghan government has never formally accepted the Durand Line, calling it a colonial imposition. In total, about 50 million Pashtuns live across both countries. Roughly 40 million reside in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and other areas, and about 10 million in Afghanistan.
What is TTP?
The TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) is an active militant group near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Founded in 2007, it advocates a separate Pashtun state. The TTP broke a peace deal with Pakistan in November 2022. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of giving them refuge, from where they strike into Pakistan. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, however, asserts “no member of TTP is present on Afghan soil.”
How did TTP originate?
TTP began in 2007 under Baitullah Mehsud, who merged 13 militant factions. The group’s mission was to fight Pakistan’s army. Some anti-army groups joined the alliance. Its formation followed Pakistan’s military campaigns in its northwestern tribal areas (FATA) against militants, linked to al-Qaeda. Currently, Noor Wali Mehsud leads it.
What does TTP want?
TTP aims to overthrow Pakistan’s government and install an Islamic Emirate under strict Sharia law. Its vision is similar to the Afghan Taliban’s, though the two remain distinct groups with separate leadership. The TTP claims Pakistan’s government does not truly follow Islam. It does not yet fully control any region, but its influence is growing in places like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Over 1,000 attacks by TTP in six months
In the past six months, the TTP conflict has seen over a thousand attacks in Pakistan. More than 300 occurred in July alone. In 2024, TTP launched 856 attacks — far more than the 645 in 2023. That means 2 to 3 attacks daily. According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, TTP’s actions caused 558 deaths in 2024 — about 52% of all terrorism-related deaths that year.
Akshay Didwaniya