Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
An ongoing insurgency is being fought in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Islamist militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), Al-Qaeda, and their Central Asian allies such as the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Movement, Emirate of Caucasus, and elements of organised crime. Before being transformed into an insurgency, the conflict was a war.
The armed conflict began in 2004 when tensions rooted in the Pakistan Army's search for Al-Qaeda fighters in its mountainous Waziristan region escalated into large-scale armed resistance. Pakistan's actions were presented as its contribution to the U.S. war on terror. The Al-Qaeda terrorists fled Afghanistan seek refuge in the bordering Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Pakistan had already joined US-led war on terror after the 9/11 attacks under Pervez Musharraf. However, after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters ventured across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to seek refuge in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). As a result, militants established a presence in several border districts in FATA. The insurgency turned into a critical issue for Pakistan when the Pakistan Army besieged Lal Masjid in Islamabad. The operation resulted in the TTP describing Pakistan as a "puppet of Western powers," amplifying its propaganda initiative and kickstarting its campaign of suicide bombings throughout the country.
Through several military campaigns, Pakistani forces pushed the TTP into neighbouring Afghanistan from where it continues to launch terrorist attacks on Pakistan. In particular, Operation Zarb-e-Azb resulted in the total loss of TTP territory in Pakistan, transitioning the conflict into an unconventional guerrilla campaign through sleeper cells.
In 2017, Pakistan began to fence the 2,600 km border it shares with Afghanistan, alongside constructing around 1,000 military installations in border regions to capitalise on gains made against militants. Moreover, FATA, under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018 to enhance administrative efficiency in the region.
Since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has been confronted with a renewed threat of terrorism as the TTP has amplified its attacks, relying on Taliban-led Afghanistan as a base for attacks and a reliable provider of support. Fresh recruits, easy access to abandoned US-made weapons, and a sanctuary under the Taliban have bolstered the TTP to continue its insurgency. In January 2026, the International Crisis Group stated that Pakistan was the country worst affected by the fall of Kabul.