What is the TTP terror group that attacked Pakistan from the Afghan border — and what do they want?

Fresh clashes have erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with the Pakistan Army and Afghan forces exchanging heavy fire at multiple locations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to a Dawn report on Saturday.

The skirmishes began late Saturday night when Taliban forces allegedly opened fire on several Pakistani border posts.

“In a prompt and intense response, Pakistani forces effectively targeted several Afghan border posts,” security officials told Dawn. Multiple Afghan positions and militant formations were reportedly hit.

According to The Express Tribune, the cross-border attacks were aimed at facilitating the entry of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into Pakistani territory.

The Taliban administration, however, claimed the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s air strikes inside Afghanistan last week.

While Islamabad did not confirm responsibility for those air strikes, it urged Kabul “to stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil,” Dawn reported.

What is the TTP?

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a Deobandi jihadist and Pashtun nationalist militant group operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. It is designated as a terrorist organisation internationally.

Formed in 2007 as an alliance of various militant factions, the TTP emerged after Pakistan launched military operations against Al-Qaida-linked militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The group was founded by Baitullah Mehsud, who was later killed in a drone strike. According to United Nations estimates, the TTP currently has between 30,000 and 35,000 fighters.

What does the TTP want?

The United Nations states that the TTP’s main objective is to overthrow Pakistan’s elected government and establish an Islamic emirate under its strict interpretation of Sharia law.

To achieve this, the group has carried out deadly attacks on Pakistan’s security forces, politicians, and civilians, destabilising large parts of the country’s northwest.

Pakistan shuts border crossings

Following the latest clashes, Pakistan closed all major crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday, officials confirmed.

While heavy firing subsided by Sunday afternoon, intermittent gunfire continued in the Kurram district.

Border points at Torkham and Chaman—the two main trade routes between the countries—were sealed, along with Kharlachi, Angoor Adda, and Ghulam Khan crossings, officials told Reuters. Kabul has yet to issue an official statement on the closure.