Pakistan Reports Presence of 2,500 Uzbek Armed Opponents in Afghanistan
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, has announced that over 2,500 armed opponents of the Uzbek government are based within Afghan territory. He stated that, after the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), these individuals constitute the second largest group of foreign armed opponents in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, 23 February, Sadiq wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account that he raised this issue in talks with Ismat Urgashiev, Uzbekistan’s special representative. According to him, the two sides also exchanged views on the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the resulting threats to neighboring countries.
The Pakistani special representative did not provide further details regarding the exact locations of these individuals or how they operate. However, publicly disclosing such statistics reflects the growing concern in Islamabad and Tashkent over Afghanistan’s security situation under Taliban rule.
This is the first time a Pakistani official has officially and openly spoken about the number of armed opponents of the Uzbek government in Afghanistan. His remarks come amid Pakistan’s recent airstrikes in parts of Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces.
Several years into Taliban governance, regional countries have repeatedly expressed concern over the presence and activities of cross-border armed groups in Afghanistan; an issue that remains a major security challenge affecting Afghanistan’s relations with its neighbors.
