ISLAMABAD –  The outlawed armed group Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, has issued a warning to the Pakistani army, stating that it will continue targeting security personnel and expand its attacks to the military’s business interests. In a statement issued last Sunday, the TTP pledged to go after various commercial enterprises run by the Pakistani military. Among the companies the group named were the National Logistics Cell, a Rawalpindi-based logistics firm; the Frontier Works Organisation, which specialises in engineering and construction; Fauji Fertiliser Company, a fertiliser manufacturer; military-run housing authorities across Pakistan; a commercial bank; and several other entities.

The Pakistan Taliban warned civilians to divest from military-run organisations within three months, urging employees of these companies to find alternative sources of income. The military has not issued any response to the Pakistan Taliban statement as yet. Al Jazeera also reached out to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, for a response but did not receive a reply. The TTP warning comes amid growing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the group’s activities.

Last month, the Pakistani military launched air raids in Afghanistan, targeting alleged hideouts of the armed group. Pakistan accuses the Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since August 2021, of providing safe havens for TTP fighters, allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks on law enforcement personnel within Pakistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan denies these allegations. The Pakistan Taliban is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban. It was founded in 2007 during the so-called “war on terror” by the United States, and has been waging a rebellion against the state of Pakistan for more than a decade.

The group’s demands include the imposition of strict Islamic law, the release of its imprisoned members, and a reversal of the merger of Pakistan’s tribal areas with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Since the Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul, TTP activities in Pakistan have surged dramatically, with nearly 1,000 people — mostly security personnel — killed in 2023. Violence persisted in 2024, which the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, described as the deadliest year in nearly a decade.

According to CRSS, 2,526 people were killed in attacks last year — including nearly 700 security personnel, more than 900 civilians and some 900 armed fighters. These deaths represent a nine-year high, exceeding the previous peak record of 2,432 deaths in 2016. Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the CRSS, warned that the Pakistan Taliban’s warning should not be dismissed. “They know full well that the Pakistani army is the linchpin against them in this fight, and their objective is to hurt the army and undermine its interests,” Gul told Al Jazeera.

Security researcher Abdul Sayed, based in Sweden, said the Pakistan Taliban’s statement signals a “significant policy shift” in the group’s strategy. “Under Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the TTP since July 2018, a policy was introduced to limit attacks primarily to security forces. However, recent air strikes in Afghanistan’s Bermal district, which also resulted in civilian casualties, likely led internal hardliners within the group to revise this approach,” Sayed told Al Jazeera. (Al Jazeera/AP)