On Tuesday (December 24) night, the Pakistani military reportedly bombed four locations of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province.

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Security officials told Pakistani media that several suspected terrorists were killed and wounded in the strikes. Meanwhile, the ruling Taliban administration in Afghanistan said that a total of 46 people, including women and children, were killed in the strikes.

Also read | Afghanistan: Taliban government spokesperson claims 46 killed in Pakistan's overnight strike

TTP pledges allegiance to, and gets its name from, the Afghan Taliban, but is not directly a part of the group that now rules Afghanistan. 

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This was the first cross-border strike inside Afghanistan in March. The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, travelled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including how to enhance bilateral trade and improve ties.

Who is the TTP?

More commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, the TTP is an alliance of formerly disparate militant groups which came together in 2007 following the Pakistani military's operations against Al-Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

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The TTP is rooted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. According to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the TTP's stated objective "is the overthrow of the elected government of Pakistan in order to establish an emirate based on its interpretation of Islamic law."

Since its formation, the TTP has carried out multiple attacks in Pakistan which has killed numerous military and law enforcement personnel, and civilians.

During a UNSC briefing last week, Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadoon said, "The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organisation operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it poses a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security."

Islamabad has maintained that it repeatedly shared evidence with the Afghan Taliban regarding the TTP attacks but claims these concerns had not been adequately addressed by Kabul. 

The notable attacks of the TTP

> On December 14, 2014, six TTP terrorists attacked the Army Public School in Pakistan's Peshawar- killing 149 people including 132 students. More than 100 others were injured in the attack.

> The attack in the Army Public School came just months after ten TTP terrorists disguised as members of the airport security force attacked the Jinnah International Airport on June 8, killing 34 people and wounding a dozen others. 

> On April 5, 2010, at least five TTP terrorists attacked the US Consulate in Peshawar, killing six people and wounding 20 others.

Pakistan faces deadly escalation in militant violence

According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), 757 people were killed and nearly as many injured in the first eight months of 2024. Citing analysts, a report by DW said that 254 people were killed in August alone.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the TTP of conducting operations inside Pakistan.

In July, a report by the UN described the TTP as "the largest terrorist group" in Afghanistan and said it receives immense support from Kabul's Taliban rulers to conduct cross-border attacks inside Pakistan.

The Pakistani military's strikes against the TTP in eastern Paktika province came after a major attack by the terrorist organisation in Pakistan's South Waziristan area - directly borders the location of the alleged camp targeted in Afghanistan - killed 16 security personnel on Saturday.

'Pakistan should understand that...'

In a post on X, Enayatullah Khowarazami, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s defence ministry, said early Wednesday, "The Pakistani side should understand that such arbitrary measures are not a solution to any problem."

Also read | Why Pakistan bombed four Afghan locations

“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered and considers the defence of its territory an inalienable right,” he added.

'Strikes represent a clear warning to TTP...'

Speaking to the news agency Associated Press, Islamabad-based security expert Syed Muhammad Ali said on Wednesday that Tuesday's strikes represented a "clear and blunt warning to the TTP that Pakistan will use all the available means against the terrorist outfit both inside and outside its borders.”

However, it is not an indiscriminate use of force and due care was taken by Pakistan in ensuring that only the terrorist bases were hit and no civilian loss of life and property took place, Ali added.

(With inputs from agencies)