New Delhi, October 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Al Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) has reportedly entered the conflict in Pakistan, adding another dimension to the country’s increasingly complex security situation, where militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), have been targeting Pakistani security forces.
According to intelligence officials, AQIS had largely remained on the sidelines of militant activity in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years, focusing primarily on digital propaganda and recruitment. However, the group has now reportedly begun supporting the TTP following developments involving the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
An official said several AQIS operatives remain in Pakistan, having dispersed across the country after being driven out of Afghanistan in large numbers by US forces. The group had largely avoided direct involvement in operations in the region but has now decided to challenge the Pakistani establishment by aligning itself with the TTP, the official said.
An Intelligence Bureau official said AQIS communicates through its media wing, the Al Sahab Media Foundation, which has increasingly voiced support for the TTP’s attacks against Pakistani security forces. The group has also reportedly urged its cadres to join the TTP in its campaign against the Pakistani establishment.
Pakistan is already facing sustained militant violence, with the TTP carrying out attacks against security forces and separatist groups such as the BLA and BLF also posing security challenges, officials said.
The BLF recently announced that its women’s unit had carried out its first attack against Pakistani security forces. The BLA also has a women’s wing, which intelligence assessments have described as a significant component of the group’s activities.
Officials said that following losses in confrontations with the TTP, BLA and BLF, Pakistani security forces had sought support from other militant organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and ISKP. The reported involvement of these groups has further complicated the security landscape and raised questions about the use of banned militant organisations in the country’s security strategy.
AQIS had been slower than ISKP in gaining regional influence and expanding its activities. According to officials, some of its cadres had become increasingly dissatisfied with the group’s limited involvement and had urged its leadership to take a more active role.
The reported entry of ISKP into the conflict is said to have influenced AQIS leadership to reconsider its position and permit greater involvement in the confrontation.
Officials said AQIS publications had previously offered ideological and moral support to the TTP. They now claim that AQIS operatives are also participating in activities alongside the TTP against Pakistani security forces and rival militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and ISKP.
The reported alignment could provide the TTP with additional support, particularly in areas such as logistics and training, where AQIS is believed to retain experience despite its weakened regional presence. Officials said the association could also affect the capabilities of newer TTP recruits.
For Islamabad, AQIS’s reported involvement presents an additional challenge in an already volatile security environment. An official said Pakistan had not anticipated the group moving beyond propaganda and joining the conflict, making the situation more difficult for the country’s security establishment.
The developments point to shifting alignments among militant organisations operating in the region, with competing groups increasingly becoming involved in Pakistan’s internal security conflict.
FOLLOW NOW
