INTERNATIONAL endorsements about presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan are pouring in one after another.

After the release of eye-opening reports by UNSC and Russian foreign office in past few weeks, now a strong resolution at UNSC has reemphasized global concerns about terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan with obvious support of Taliban regime. This factor alone is a bone of contention in rapidly worsening bilateral ties of Pakistan with Afghanistan.

Surging number of terrorist attacks as well as huge volume of men and material losses suffered by Pakistan are enough reasons to launch retaliatory strikes on terror sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. UNSC Resolution 2818 (2026), adopted unanimously on 16 March 2026, extends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 June 2026. While primarily a technical extension of the mission, it is directly applicable to the presence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan through its reinforcement of counter-terrorism demands on the de facto (rather unelected illegitimate Taliban) regime and its mandate for UNAMA to monitor, report and facilitate actions on security challenges. This resolution is a loud endorsement of Pakistan’s principle based stance about growing cross-border terrorism endangering the national and regional security. Applicability of this resolution to Terrorist Presence in Afghanistan is beyond any doubt. The resolution specifically emphasizes the importance of combating groups designated by previous UNSC committees (Resolutions 1267, 1989 and 2253), which include Al-Qaeda, ISIL/Da’esh (ISIS-K) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP); mentioned specifically by member states (such as Pakistan) during the adoption as a primary threat operating with “impunity” in the region.

Resolution 2818 sustains previous frameworks—including elements from Resolution 2777 (2025)—that strongly condemn terrorist activity in Afghanistan and reassert that Afghan territory must not be used to threaten, attack, plan, or finance terrorist acts. The resolution reinforces calls on the Taliban to take active, demonstrable steps to combat groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL (Da’esh), as well as regional threats like banned TTP including those designated by the UN 1267 Committee. UNAMA is mandated to continue reporting to the Security Council every three months on the security situation, including the presence of terrorist groups and the Taliban’s compliance with these commitments.

Discussions surrounding the adoption of resolution 2818 highlighted serious concerns from Member States regarding the “exponential rise” in terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, with claims that Taliban elements provide a “permissive environment” for terrorist organizations. The resolution and related statements from council members emphasize that the presence of these groups poses a grave threat to neighboring countries and regional stability, aiming to compel the Taliban to curb cross-border attacks.

In short Resolution 2818 provides the legitimacy to keep UNAMA on the ground to monitor the security situation and provides the framework to hold the Taliban accountable for allowing terrorist groups to operate within Afghanistan’s borders. Commitment of Taliban with internationally designated terrorist groups instead of Afghani masses reflects myopic vision of the regime. International community needs to realize that Pakistan is acting like a shield between the Afghanistan based terrorist groups and rest of the world.

—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.

© Pakistan Observer