TTP Leaders Live In Kabul, Claims Former Pakistani Envoy

Asif Durrani, Pakistan's former representative to Afghanistan, said that about 6,000 TTP fighters are present in Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, he said that Pakistani Taliban leaders live in Kabul.

Asif Durrani stated that the Taliban is unfamiliar with the principles of diplomacy and therefore, do not respect diplomatic norms.

Durrani noted that he repeatedly called on the Taliban to open girls' schools, but Taliban officials said that they must first organise their government and only then, will they reopen the schools.

He also clarified that Taliban officials have not denied the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan, but have stated that they are managing the group.

Durrani stated that the Taliban has said that TTP members will be transferred to the central regions of Afghanistan.

The TTP is mainly based in provinces bordering Pakistan, such as Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia and Paktika.

The former Pakistani representative added that half of the TTP members are in Pakistan and nearly 6,000 in Afghanistan, and the group's leadership lives in Kabul.
Durrani also said that some TTP forces are active in Khost province and the border areas of the two countries.

He called on the Taliban to hand over the TTP members to Islamabad so that they can be treated according to the laws of this country.

After the Taliban's return to power, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken on a new lease of life. In the past two years, the group's attacks have increased by nearly 70 percent.

The group has carried out sophisticated attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on the Pakistani army and security institutions, killing and wounding dozens of Pakistani troops.