Pakistan’s security threatened by TTP militants’ access to sanctuaries, latest weapons: Army

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Pakistan’s military said Monday that the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group’s access to sanctuaries as well as the latest weapons poses a security threat to the nation.

“The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of the proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in a neighboring country and the availability of the latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as major reasons impacting the security of Pakistan,” it said.

The statement was released after the Pakistani military held its 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

It came after Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir said Friday that TTP militants had freedom of action across the border in Afghanistan, urging Kabul not to allow the nation’s soil to be used against any country.

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan have serious concerns about the safe havens and liberty of action available to the TTP in Afghanistan," Munir said.

The TTP is a conglomerate of several militant groups in Pakistan that Islamabad alleges are currently inside Afghanistan.

“It is expected that the interim Afghan government would not allow the use of its soil to perpetrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in the (2020) Doha Agreement," he added.

Munir’s statement came after at least 12 Pakistani soldiers and seven militants were killed in two attacks and operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Pakistan's Balochistan province last week.

Over the weekend, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also accused Afghanistan of not fulfilling its obligations as a neighbor.

Asif said Kabul is not abiding by the commitments made in the 2020 Doha agreement.

"Five to six million Afghans are living from past 40 to 50 years with all rights (in Pakistan) while on the other side, those terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis can find refuge on Afghan soil," he said in a tweet.

"This situation cannot continue any longer. Pakistan will use all its resources to protect its land and citizens," he added.

Suhail Shaheen, a senior leader of the Afghan Taliban and head of its political office in Qatar, last week tweeted: "We are committed not to allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any country, including neighboring countries, but as regards internal security of a country, it is their responsibility.”