TTP Seizes Khyber Posts Amid Af-Pak Border Conflict Escalation

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TTP Fighters Seize Security Posts in Khyber Agency Amid Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Tensions

By TRH News Desk

New Delhi, April 20, 2025: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters have reportedly seized several security posts from Pakistani forces in the Khyber Agency, a volatile tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, according to unconfirmed claims.

“In Khyber Agency, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters have reportedly seized several security posts from Pakistani forces,” Kabul Frontline said in a post on X while sharing videos of the TTP fighters holding grounds at bunkers.

The escalation on the disputed border also has come at a time when Pakistan is pushing Afghan refugees out. Pakistan and Iran are pushing Afghan refugees out of their countries.

Raja Muneeb, a conflict zone analyst, shared a statement of Pakistan-banned TPP on X in which the outfit vowed to expand scope of attacks within Pakistani cities. “TTP has declared that it will now target economic and commercial institutions linked to the Pakistani military. The group had given two months’ warning to the vendors, which has now expired,” Muneeb quoted the statement saying.

He further stated that “TTP insurgents have been ordered to destroy products and burn the vehicles transporting goods linked to Pak military economic and industrial wing”. The attacks reportedly on Pakistani Army posts in border areas came within a week of the TTP issuing the statement.

Jawad Yousafzai, a journalist, also posted the statement of TTP on X by stating the translation as stated by Muneeb. The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the TTP and Pakistani security forces, further straining the already tense relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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The Khyber Agency, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has long been a hotspot for violence due to its proximity to the porous border with Afghanistan. The TTP, an ally of the Afghan Taliban, has intensified its operations in the region since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens to TTP fighters, a charge Kabul consistently denies. Recent months have seen a sharp rise in cross-border attacks, with the TTP claiming responsibility for over 600 attacks in Pakistan in the past year, resulting in more than 1,600 deaths, predominantly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The reported seizure of security posts follows a pattern of aggressive TTP operations in the region. On December 30, 2024, TTP militants claimed to have ambushed Pakistani forces in the Bara area of Khyber Agency, targeting a military raid on their hideout.

Earlier, on April 14, 2025, TTP fighters assaulted a post in Khyber’s Bara area, part of a series of attacks that also included ambushes in Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan. These incidents highlight the group’s growing boldness, with some reports suggesting TTP fighters have raised their flag over captured Pakistani military installations in nearby Bajaur.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have worsened amid mutual accusations of supporting militancy. Pakistan has conducted airstrikes on alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan, including a December 24, 2024, strike in Paktika province that allegedly killed 46 people, drawing international criticism. In response, the Afghan Taliban has warned of retaliatory measures, with senior official Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai claiming their fighters could overwhelm Pakistani defences.

Clashes at the Torkham border crossing in March 2025 resulted in casualties on both sides, further disrupting trade and exacerbating Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.

Pakistani security forces have intensified counterterrorism efforts, killing dozens of TTP fighters in recent raids, including nine in Dera Ismail Khan on April 7, 2025, said Pakistani media in multiple reports. However, the TTP’s ability to seize strategic posts underscores the challenges Pakistan faces in securing its border regions. The group’s operations have also targeted critical infrastructure, with reports of abductions of nuclear engineers and attacks on military-run enterprises.

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