TTP Releases Satellite-Imaging Clip of Pro‑Government Militia Base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PESHAWAR, July 2025 – In a disturbing escalation, the Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) recently published a video featuring high-resolution satellite imagery of a pro‑government militia installation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Analysts say the footage indicates advanced geolocation capabilities—suggesting the group may be combining ground reconnaissance with external satellite data to identify and expose high‑value targets.
Officials in KP security circles confirmed that the base was affiliated with government-supported local militias aligned against TTP and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGB), a faction operating in the tribal belt and closely allied with the Afghan Taliban . The imagery is believed to have been cross‑referenced against ground photographs, allowing TTP to pinpoint the facility’s exact coordinates.
Pakistan’s Defence Ministry has previously warned that TTP continues to use Afghan soil for launching attacks in KP . The group has also been accused of possessing advanced equipment—thermal scopes and night-vision systems—said to have been left behind by U.S. forces, and reportedly transferred to militants via Afghan Taliban networks .
Escalating Threat: From Ground Recon naissance to Satellite Mapping
The release amplifies fears that TTP and HGB have significantly upgraded their targeting methods. A January 2023 briefing cited by Pakistani military officials claimed that satellite imagery had been used to monitor TTP commanders in Nangarhar, Afghanistan . The recent video appears to mark a shift toward open-source and possibly third-party satellite platforms, increasing the group’s tactical reach.
KP counter-terrorism officials are now investigating how TTP may have accessed such imagery and too whether the group received logistical or technical assistance to refine its targeting abilities.
RAW’s Shadow: Is India’s Spy Agency Feeding Satellite Intelligence to TTP?
The release of high-resolution satellite imagery by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s security establishment—not just for its precision, but for what it suggests: external intelligence collaboration.
While no direct evidence has yet emerged, Pakistan’s military and intelligence community have repeatedly accused India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of backing anti-Pakistan militant groups, including TTP and Baloch separatists. The sophisticated nature of the imagery, combined with TTP’s ability to geolocate sensitive pro-government militia bases, has raised serious suspicions of RAW’s indirect or covert support.
Satellite Imagery: Too Precise for Lone Militants?
Experts point out that open-source satellite imagery platforms like Google Earth or commercial tools may offer limited resolution, but the clarity and targeting accuracy in TTP’s video appears to go beyond what is publicly available. “This kind of intelligence—timely, coordinated, and actionable—isn’t typically accessible to militant groups without state-level assistance,” said a senior counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pakistan has in the past provided dossiers to the UN and other international bodies alleging RAW’s involvement in training, funding, and arming TTP elements operating out of Afghanistan. These accusations gained further credibility when captured TTP militants revealed during interrogation that Indian handlers had facilitated logistics, encrypted communications, and in some cases, target coordinates for attacks.
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Past Allegations of RAW-TTP Nexus
In 2023, Pakistan’s then-Foreign Minister presented evidence of Indian intelligence funding TTP safehouses in eastern Afghanistan.
Interrogations of arrested militants like Nasrullah alias Molvi Mansoor revealed meetings between RAW operatives and leaders of TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in Kabul and Jalalabad.
Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) has previously highlighted the strategic convergence of anti-state groups, with alleged RAW facilitation aimed at disrupting CPEC and sowing chaos in KP and Balochistan.
Strategic Motive: Destabilization via Proxy
Analysts say India’s aim, if involved, would be strategic destabilization: using proxies like TTP to stretch Pakistan’s military thin, especially in the western provinces. With Pakistani forces increasingly involved in counterinsurgency operations in KP and Balochistan, any uptick in precision strikes by TTP could signal a deeper and more organized campaign—possibly driven by foreign intelligence inputs.
Moreover, India’s extensive satellite and reconnaissance capabilities, including platforms like Cartosat-2, have often been hailed for their accuracy. While New Delhi maintains a strict denial of any involvement in cross-border subversion, the geopolitical rivalry and recurring accusations from Islamabad have kept the possibility alive in both policy and media circles.
Security Implications and Response
The timing of the video is particularly sensitive: it follows a series of counter‑terror operations including drone strikes in Katlang (March 29, 2025), and the Waziristan drone strike that killed children (May 19, 2025), both triggering widespread public backlash and operational scrutiny . Pakistan’s military has since conducted “sanitization” raids in North Waziristan, claiming to target Indian‑backed militant factions .
Experts warn that TTP’s ability to identify and publicize militia locations may deter pro‑government groups from operating openly, complicating efforts to stabilize insurgency-affected areas of KP. It also underscores how rapidly modern insurgent groups are incorporating satellite data into tactical planning.
