Ever since the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan in August 2021, there have been fears that the nation may transform into a nesting place of terrorist organizations. Regardless of denial upon denial by the Taliban authorities, increasing data reported by the United Nations, security experts, and authorities point to the fact that Afghanistan still serves as a haven to such extremist groups as the Al Qaeda, the ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). These organizations have grown in their activities and therefore they are posing a great danger to both the world and regional security.
Taliban’s Official Denials and International Concerns
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has repeatedly denied reports of foreign terrorist organizations in Afghanistan. He maintains that the Taliban regime has complete authority over Afghanistan and does not permit any terrorist network to function from Afghan territory. Mujahid said,
“We strongly reject the claim made by the US House of Representatives suggesting that foreign groups are present in Afghanistan or that any threat emanates from its territory.”
Nevertheless, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) published a research report in the beginning of 2025 identifying three key security trends in Afghanistan, such as fragmentation of Taliban, existence of regional and global terrorist groups, and growth of anti-Taliban resistance movements. In the report, particular mention was made that Al Qaeda has become freer under Taliban government and that we might expect the same country of Afghanistan to be a haven of international terrorists again plotting to perform global attacks.
Security Incidents and Terrorist Activity
According to the United Nations records, between November 2023 and November 2024, there were 8,650 security incidents in Afghanistan, 156 people killed and 426 persons injured who had been civilians. ISIS-K attacks have led to the loss of many lives and most of the casualties involved civilians, minorities groups like the Hazara people, foreigners, and Taliban officials. In this time ISIS-K conducted at least 19 significant terrorist attacks.
Tribal feuds in the Taliban make the situation worse. The 2024 killing of a top Taliban official Khalil Rahman Haqqani is a classic example since it showed that fighting terrorism with limited knowledge is a puzzle.
Regional Implications and Cross-Border Attacks
Asian security is highly affected by the state of security in Afghanistan. Another extremist militant organization, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is a rare Muslim coalition consisting of extremist groups that are mainly based in Afghanistan, has escalated their attacks on the Pakistani security forces and people, in general. According to the estimates of the United Nations, TTP is the biggest terrorist group in Afghanistan with an estimated number of fighters between 6,000 and 6,500.
Pakistan has retaliated by carrying airstrikes against TTP bases within Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban replied by strikes on the Pakistani frontier posts, and this worsened the relationship between the two nations. These interstate animosities highlight the porousness of the Afghan borders and how hard it will be to contain terror organizations.
A security expert, Joe Doc, has made some remarks on the same subject in his interview with a prime time news station that the Taliban is denying in the open whereas on the ground, the situation is contrary. He emphasized the fact that security in Afghanistan is a fractured situation and several terrorist groups exist where their level of operation and/or acceptance with the Taliban varies. Joe Doc underscored that any claims by the Taliban of united superiority is a trap and Afghanistan remains a hub and breeding ground of terrorism making things unstable to secure the place.
Taliban denies Afghanistan is a haven for terrorists
— Joe Dougherty (@joedoc2112) June 30, 2025
–@billroggio @FDD's @LongWarJournal
Details here: https://t.co/b2tgxyFS1F pic.twitter.com/Cyzugy0BMA
Taliban’s Counterterrorism Efforts: Brutality and Intelligence
A scholarly study that was submitted in the Journal of Strategic Security in 2025 indicates that the strategy used by the Taliban to counter terrorism has also changed. First, the Taliban resorted to fierce methods of fighting ISIS-K, not limited to the use of indiscriminate violence, stalking of communities, night raids, torture, and extra-judicial executions. Owing to them, over time they engaged in more intelligence-based undertakings, getting inside the cells of the ISIS-K and attacking recruiting networks, especially those of university students.
Although some accomplishments have been gained due to these efforts, including the killings of important ISIS-K commanders, the Taliban approach retains a highly repressive nature, instead of focusing on underlying extremism causes. This strategy threatens to distance local residents and possibly lead to further radicalization.
Arms and Funding Networks
It has been reported that Afghanistan has now become a key source of weapons and finance in the terrorist activities within South Asia. After the departure of the US in 2021, vast quantities of military hardware were delivered to militant forces affiliated to the Taliban. Illegal finances such as drug distribution and illegal mining have grown stronger which gave reason to terrorist organizations to spread their activities.
A report of the UN Security Council Sanctions Monitoring Team in 2025 showed that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Afghan (TTA) furnishes funds and logistics to TTP and the TTP commander in chief is paid on a monthly basis. Training camps of the terrorists are located in the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika.
International Perspectives and Challenges
US Representative Bill Huizenga, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, cautioned in June 2025 that “Afghanistan once again has become a hotbed for terrorists who are seeking a safe haven as they build their numbers and capacities to project terror throughout the region and, quite frankly, the globe.” He said the revival of ISIS-K and TTP was unprecedented threats.
According to the Country Report on Terrorism released by the US Department of State in 2023, although the activities of the Al Qaeda group had been scaled down to the lowest level since 2001, it is controlled by the Taliban and still operates in Afghanistan. The report further records limited ability or inclination of the Taliban to shut down the safe haven of TTP or avert cross-border assaults.
The Council on Foreign Relations underlines that poor state institutions, economic failure and close relations that Taliban have with the terrorist organizations provide the environment where extremism can flourish in Afghanistan. Kabul, whose security is controlled by one of the strong Taliban factions, the Haqqani Network, has close ties with the Al Qaeda compounding counterterrorist challenges.
Impact on Regional and Global Security
The existence of several terrorist networks in Afghanistan is an enormous threat outside its international boundaries. The capability of ISIS-K, and Al Qaeda to conduct training on operatives and organize attacks is a risk to the countries on the border and western interests. South Asia is in a state of instability through the existing war between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The global pursuits of the Taliban on counter terrorism have not achieved much success. Opaque governance, factionalism, and concentration more on loyalty than on competence by Taliban is also seen as a hindering factor in terms of managing security.
The Complexity of Taliban Rule and Terrorism Nexus
Taliban rejection of Afghanistan as a terrorism enclave is in sharp contrast with the situation that characterises Afghanistan with disjointed governance and numerous armed parties. Under the guise of an effective governance Taliban have been involved in alliances with extremist groups and have been unable to contain terrorism in the region.
Threats to security have been developing in a dynamic world requiring sophisticated comprehension and international concerted actions. It is essential to reduce the threat by addressing root causes of extremism, enhancing governance as well as regional cooperation.
