In any serious security analysis of Afghanistan’s geography, identifying terrorist groups requires distinguishing among global, regional, and local organizations. Based on assessments by analysts, reports from the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions monitoring team, and regional intelligence evaluations in 2025 and early 2026, an estimated 20 to 23 armed terrorist groups maintain an active physical presence on Afghan soil.
1. Terrorist Groups with Global Agendas
These organizations pursue objectives beyond Afghanistan’s borders and are regarded as direct threats to international security:
1.1. ISIS–Khorasan (ISIS-K): Active in Afghanistan since 2014, ISIS-Khorasan’s operations indicate that it is currently the Taliban’s most serious operational and ideological rival. There is speculation that some regional actors may be using the group as a destabilizing force to shape the balance of power. ISIS-K has not confined itself to domestic attacks; it has also used Afghan territory to plan operations abroad.
1.2. Al-Qaeda: Despite weakened leadership, Al-Qaeda’s core and its Indian Subcontinent branch, which maintains fundamental ties to the central organization but operates with its own structure, are considered distinct terrorist entities. The group maintains familial ties with certain Taliban factions and officials, which has facilitated a more permissive environment for its presence in Afghanistan. The killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in central Kabul not only confirmed the group’s active presence in the country but also underscored challenges to the Doha commitments and symbolized a strategic rupture. Even so, Al-Qaeda is currently rebuilding its organizational structure within Afghanistan.
2. Regional Terrorist Groups
These groups, numbering more than a dozen, are composed largely of foreign fighters and aim to destabilize and overthrow political systems in neighboring countries. The most prominent among them include Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al-Badr Mujahideen, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Jamaat Ansarullah, and Jundallah, among others. All currently maintain a presence in Afghanistan.
2.1. Pakistani militant groups: Chief among them are TTP, the Baloch Liberation Army, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Badr Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed. These groups operate from Afghan territory, focusing primarily on Pakistan and India. The largest of these, TTP, opposes the Pakistani state and has become the central point of tension between Kabul and Islamabad.
2.2. Tajik groups: These include Jamaat Ansarullah and Jundallah. The latter should not be confused with the earlier Jundallah group that once had a limited presence along the Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan border; that earlier organization has since disbanded. The current iteration remains active. Both groups are based in northeastern Afghanistan and carried out several attacks inside Tajikistan in 2025.
2.3. East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM): Composed of Uyghur fighters, the group’s objective is China, specifically the Xinjiang region. Its presence and activity in Afghanistan have been confirmed.
2.4. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU): Made up of Uzbek fighters, the group seeks to undermine security in Uzbekistan. One faction maintains ties with ISIS-K, while another is aligned with Al-Qaeda. The organization is currently active in Afghanistan
Why Are Terrorist Groups Present and Active in Afghanistan?
From a security studies perspective, the presence of these groups stems from several structural factors:
1. Ideological coexistence: Because of shared jihadist roots and kinship ties with certain militant organizations, the Afghan Taliban may view the complete suppression of groups such as Al-Qaeda or TTP as contrary to their moral and ideological values, and potentially destabilizing to internal cohesion.
2. Use as leverage: The Taliban may regard the presence of such groups as a bargaining chip in negotiations with neighboring states and major powers, for example, trading security assurances for political recognition.
3. Weak territorial control: Afghanistan’s mountainous and difficult border regions limit any government’s ability to exercise comprehensive oversight. These “ungoverned spaces” provide ideal conditions for the survival of smaller terrorist organizations.
A further question arises: What sustains and reproduces these groups? These organizations continue to serve functions for their members in one way, and for states and intelligence services in another. Understanding their persistence, therefore, requires examining the functional logic of terrorism. Beyond their destructive identity, such groups operate as low-cost instruments in geopolitical rivalries, as pressure tools in informal diplomacy, and as active players in the region’s shadow economy. As long as terrorism is defined as a “functional asset” for both domestic and external actors, its reproduction within Afghanistan’s geography will remain unavoidable.
