ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has cautioned that foreign fighters who participated in Syria’s conflicts during 2024 could relocate to Afghanistan, a development that poses grave security implications for Pakistan’s ongoing counterterrorism campaign.
The warning was issued in UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s annual report on counterterrorism, presented to the UN Security Council on August 21, 2025.
ISKP Identified as Immediate Threat
The report underscores that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) remains the most pressing extremist threat in Afghanistan, with an estimated 2,000 active militants. Analysts fear that the potential arrival of battle-hardened Syrian fighters could exacerbate instability in the region, further complicating efforts by Pakistan and its neighbors to maintain security.
Syria-Afghanistan Nexus Raises Concerns
The UN also noted that approximately 3,000 ISIS members are still operational in Syria, and some of these militants could be transferred to Afghan territory. The relocation of such fighters would effectively reinvigorate terrorist networks across the border, making Pakistan more vulnerable to cross-border attacks and terrorism resurgence.
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Taliban Rejections Do Not Ease Fears
While the Taliban authorities in Kabul deny harboring foreign militants, the UN report warns that Afghanistan could once again become a staging ground for transnational terrorist outfits. For Pakistan, which has already faced a surge in TTP and ISKP-linked attacks, such developments would create serious challenges for its counterterrorism and border security strategies.
Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Efforts at Risk
Security analysts argue that the potential influx of Syrian militants into Afghanistan threatens to undermine Pakistan’s hard-fought gains against terrorism. With ISKP seeking regional influence and the TTP already attempting to destabilize Pakistan, the convergence of multiple militant factions in Afghanistan could reignite the wave of terrorism that Pakistan has been working to suppress for over a decade.