ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan ’s military on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan is becoming a “hub for terrorists and non-state actors,” widening its allegations to assert that its Taliban government is patronizing al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and the Pakistani Taliban.
Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry also told a news conference, without offering evidence, that about 2,500 foreign militants recently entered Afghanistan from Syria following the ouster there of former President Bashar Assad. Chaudhry asserted that the militants were invited to Afghanistan.
“These terrorists are neither Pakistanis nor Afghan citizens and belong to other nationalities,” Chaudhry said, adding that the reemergence of international militant groups could pose security risks beyond neighboring Afghanistan’s borders.
Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war ended with Assad’s ouster in December 2024 but left behind a patchwork of armed groups on all sides of the conflict, shaped by years of foreign intervention.
Fighters from Syria have since taken part in other wars in the region and beyond, including Turkish-backed combatants sent to Libya and militants recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine. Foreign fighters have joined Syrian rebel factions, pro-government forces and extremist groups such as the Islamic State group.
Chaudhry’s remarks came a day after Pakistan and China called for more “visible and verifiable” measures to eliminate militant organizations operating from Afghan territory and to prevent it from being used for attacks against other countries.
Chaudhry said the Afghan Taliban is not a government but an armed group that had “occupied Afghanistan.”
In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed the claims as “irresponsible and provocative,” and urged Pakistan to avoid “unfounded propaganda.” He called on Islamabad to issue measured statements, taking into account the sensitivity and importance of relations between the countries.
“Afghanistan is an independent and stable country with a strong security system and decisive leadership that exercises full sovereignty over all its territory,” Mujahid said, and asked Pakistan to focus on its own internal challenges.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent months, with tensions occasionally spilling into violence. In October, the countries came close to a wider conflict after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as Pakistani Taliban hideouts inside Afghanistan. Kabul retaliated by targeting Pakistani military posts. The fighting ended after Qatar brokered a ceasefire.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan and India of backing the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and the outlawed Baloch National Army. Both Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.
Chaudhry also said Pakistan killed 2,597 militants in 2025, up from 1,053 a year earlier. The country recorded 5,397 militant attacks, up from 3,014 in 2024.
“Yes, this is a big number,” he said of the 2025 attacks. “Why? Because we are engaging them everywhere.” He added that Afghan nationals were involved in almost all major attacks inside Pakistan last year.
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Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Abdul Qahar Afghan in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.
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