New York (Web Desk): Denmark has warned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continues to represent a major security threat for South and Central Asia, warning that the group is still drawing “logistical and material assistance” from Afghanistan’s de facto rulers.
The warning came from Denmark’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sandra Jensen Landi, who delivered the assessment in her capacity as chair of the Security Council’s ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee during a comprehensive briefing in New York on Wednesday.
The presence of TTP fighters inside Afghanistan has long remained a central issue between Pakistan and the Taliban government. Since the Taliban took control in 2021, Pakistan has consistently accused Kabul of providing shelter to thousands of TTP militants who have escalated their attacks inside Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Speaking before the Council, Landi described the TTP’s estimated 6,000-strong network as one of the most dangerous militant groups in the region. She noted that the outfit has launched several significant and deadly strikes in Pakistan from Afghan soil, stressing that the group’s operational strength has grown due to ongoing external support.
Expanding her briefing to global terror dynamics, Landi highlighted the resurgence of ISIL (Daesh), Al-Qaeda and their affiliates across a range of regions, drawing on findings from the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. She said extremist networks are increasingly relying on social media platforms and cryptocurrency to recruit followers, spread violent content and avoid international financial controls.
Landi explained that although Daesh has lost territorial control in the Middle East, it has shifted much of its attention to Africa, where groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have broadened their influence.
In South and Central Asia, she underscored ISIL-Khorasan (IS-K) as a particularly potent threat, with around 2,000 fighters commanded by Sanaullah Ghafari. She noted that IS-K continues to target Shia civilians, Afghan officials and foreign nationals through highly coordinated attacks.
She said that while Al-Qaeda’s core leadership has become significantly weaker, its regional arms — especially Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin in the Sahel — have exploited local upheaval to grow their reach. She also pointed out that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) remains active in propaganda operations and fundraising.
Calling the worldwide terrorism threat “resilient and adaptable,” Landi said militant groups are taking advantage of weak state structures, ongoing conflicts and rapid technological changes to maintain relevance.
She urged member states to boost cooperation under the UN’s 1267 sanctions regime to counter the evolving challenges.