Taliban’s ‘Civilian Casualties’ Narrative Seen as an Attempt to Divert Attention from Terrorism

According to Pakistan’s position, the Afghan Taliban’s allegations that Pakistani operations target civilians are aimed at diverting international attention from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas in Kunar and Paktika, claiming that civilians were killed and wounded in Kunar, while civilian property was damaged in Paktika. Pakistan maintains that whenever anti-Pakistan terrorist networks operating from Afghan soil are targeted, the Taliban government adopts a similar strategy of portraying Pakistan as the aggressor and attempting to shift international attention away from safe havens for terrorists.

According to Pakistan, the Taliban government raises every counterterrorism operation at the international level in an effort to increase pressure on Pakistan and provide protection to terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. Citing a report by a United Nations monitoring team, Pakistan says that the TTP carried out more than 600 cross-border attacks in 2025, while more than 20 international and regional terrorist organizations, including the TTP, remain active in Afghanistan.

According to Pakistan, there is also practical evidence of the terrorism threat originating from Afghanistan. In 2026, individuals identified as Afghan nationals were reportedly involved in several attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Sindh. They include Abdul Rehman, the suicide bomber who attacked a wedding ceremony in Dera Ismail Khan on January 26; the alleged mastermind arrested in connection with the February 6 attack on the Tarlai Imambargah in Islamabad; Ahmed, also known as Qari Abdullah Abu Zarr, who was allegedly involved in the February 16 attack on the Malangi Post in Bajaur; Usman Ali and two others allegedly involved in the June 27 attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi; and Matiullah, the suicide bomber involved in the September 18 attack on a mosque at the Kohat Police Lines.

Pakistan says that more than 1,200 Pakistanis were killed as a result of terrorism originating from Afghanistan in 2025, while more than 5,300 terrorist incidents were reported across the country. Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue of the presence of the TTP, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), among other groups, on Afghan soil.

According to Pakistan’s position, civilian casualties should not be used as a shield for terrorism under any circumstances, and claims of civilian deaths should be independently investigated. However, the fundamental question, according to Pakistan, is why terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory continue to have space to carry out attacks. Pakistan has urged the international community to demand verifiable counterterrorism measures, transparency and accountability from the Taliban government.