Why is Pakistan targeting TTP in Afghanistan and its implications for India? Explained Valley Vibes JK

Amid rising tensions with Pakistan, two powerful explosions occurred in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 9 – one in Kabul and the other in the eastern province of Paktika.

The Taliban initially downplayed the incident, with government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid saying there were no reports of damage.

“Explosion heard in Kabul city. However, no one needs to worry; everything is fine. The incident is under investigation and no damage has been reported so far,” Mujahid wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

However, on 10 October, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry blamed Pakistan for the blasts, without giving further details.

According to the Pakistani army, at least 30 members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in the attack.

Cross Border Terrorism Tension and TTP

The attacks targeted the TTP, a Pakistan-based terrorist group responsible for numerous attacks on Pakistani security forces.

According to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), the TTP has carried out more than 600 attacks against Pakistani forces last year alone, with activity in 2025 already expected to exceed 2024, Al Jazeera reports.

The group is accused of operating from Afghan territory, including safe havens in Kabul and eastern provinces.

TTP chief is the main target

It was reported that the main target of the airstrike was TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who took over the leadership in 2018.

While Pakistani media initially suggested that he had been killed, Mehsud later confirmed through a voice message that he was safe and in Pakistan.

However, according to News18, his son was killed in the attack.

The attacks came soon after Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif issued a stern warning, saying, “Enough is enough. Despite years of negotiations with the Afghan government, the bloodshed has not stopped in Pakistan. Daily cremations of military personnel are being carried out. According to India Today, we are paying the price of 60 years of hospitality to 6 million Afghan refugees with our blood.”

“It is time for Afghan guests to return to their homes and end this cycle of terror and murder,” he said.

Why is Pakistan attacking TTP?

Pakistan has accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring TTP fighters, allowing them to carry out attacks on Pakistani soil.

Islamabad has launched cross-border attacks, including airstrikes, in response to TTP attacks, which recently killed 11 Pakistani soldiers in an ambush near the Afghan border.

However, such attacks risk escalating violence and further complicating counter-terrorism cooperation. And targeting the TTP leadership could lead to more aggressive attacks inside Pakistan.

Implications for India

The blasts coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki’s first visit to India after the Taliban returned to power, during which he held a meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.

Pakistan may view growing India-Afghanistan ties as a strategic challenge, especially as New Delhi is providing humanitarian aid and enhancing official ties with Kabul.

The two ministers announced the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with India upgrading its technical mission in Kabul to an embassy. Muttaqi also said that Afghan diplomats would reach New Delhi soon.

Jaishankar and Muttaki also agreed to enhance people-to-people exchanges and education ties, as well as combat cross-border terrorism, with Muttaki promising that Afghan soil will not be used against any other country.

With hopes of warming bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s actions may also see an invisible cooperation between the two countries. Additionally, since Afghanistan’s relations have been good with Pakistan’s staunch ally China, a new realignment may also be seen in the geopolitical situation in the South Asian region.

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