Pakistan’s Taliban resurgence: A decade-old threat returns stronger than ever

Pakistani security forces are waging one of their most intense military campaigns in years against the local branch of the Taliban, as fighting escalates along the rugged border with Afghanistan  marking the country’s fiercest clashes in a decade.

Centered mainly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Bajaur regions, the offensive targets Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group that has resurfaced with greater strength and sophistication after years of relative calm. The ongoing conflict has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands, reigniting fears of a return to large-scale insurgency.

Although Pakistan declared the TTP defeated in 2018, the group has since absorbed smaller militant factions, including al-Qaeda’s Pakistan branch, transforming into a well-structured, highly organized network. Unlike its earlier campaign of indiscriminate bombings, TTP operations today are more strategic, focusing mainly on military and security installations. The Islamic State also maintains a presence in parts of the same border areas, adding another layer of volatility.

Complicating Islamabad’s efforts, the TTP enjoys safe havens across the Afghan border. Pakistani officials accuse the Taliban government in Kabul of providing financial and logistical support, and allowing TTP fighters to train on Afghan soil charges the Afghan authorities categorically deny.

According to the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, terrorist attacks in Pakistan have surged to levels unseen since 2015, when the last major counter-insurgency campaign was at its peak. The report ranks Pakistan as the second most affected country by terrorism worldwide, surpassed only by Burkina Faso.

Founded in 2007 after Islamabad supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the TTP initially operated from tribal regions and grew rapidly before being fractured by internal divisions and targeted U.S. drone strikes. Its apparent defeat, however, has proven short-lived.

Today, the group is reportedly using U.S.-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan and expanding its reach toward Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province a development raising serious concerns about national security and state control.