Taliban allegations in Reuters report, evidence questioned

A Reuters report quoting the Afghan Taliban regime as accusing individuals killed or arrested during recent clashes in Kunar and Nuristan of infiltrating from Pakistan has put question marks on Reuters credibility.

In a response to the report, Pakistan rejected the allegations as baseless and questioned Reuters’ reliance on claims made by the Taliban without presenting evidence of the individuals’ Pakistani nationality or identity.

The response said pictures shared on social media by the Afghan Taliban regime itself showed that the individuals were Afghans. It questioned why Pakistan was being linked to the clashes when the Taliban’s own account reportedly described them as Afghan nationals.

It also raised questions about the clothing and appearance of the individuals shown in the pictures, saying their neat and colourful clothes did not appear consistent with those of fighters operating in remote mountainous areas during cold weather.

The response said the weather in Kunar and Nuristan was cold and required heavy clothing for people operating in remote mountainous areas. It questioned whether the individuals had been held in Taliban detention cells before being killed and later presented as infiltrators. It also suggested they could have been civilians killed by the Taliban. However, it provided no independent evidence to establish these possibilities.

The response asked Reuters to explain the basis for linking the individuals to Pakistan and demanded evidence if any of them were Pakistani nationals. It also accused the news agency of failing to give similar attention to allegations of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan and crossing into Pakistan.

It claimed that 260 Afghan nationals had been identified as fighting alongside the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with their names, addresses and funeral pictures available. It further alleged that some funerals had been attended by Taliban commanders, but said Reuters had not given sufficient coverage to this evidence.

According to the response, 1,327 Pakistani civilians and security personnel had been killed and 2,484 injured in terrorist attacks involving militants infiltrating from Afghanistan during 2026. It criticised Reuters for not giving adequate prominence to these casualties.

The response also referred to ongoing clashes in Badakhshan, Nuristan and parts of Kunar since July. It said groups and individuals, including Jumma Khan, Qayum Malang, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), the National Resistance Front (NRF), the Afghanistan United Front (AUF) and Islamic State (ISIS), had remained active in these areas.

It alleged that the conflict was linked to the exploitation of natural resources, claiming that Taliban elements from Kandahar had taken control of mines and minerals and deployed forces from outside the region. It added that local Taliban factions had also opposed these actions.

The response accused Reuters of relying on unverified Taliban claims to implicate Pakistan while giving insufficient coverage to allegations of militant activity originating from Afghanistan. It also criticised the Taliban regime for making accusations against Pakistan without presenting evidence, despite its stated desire to establish normal relations with Islamabad.

The response called on Reuters to maintain balanced reporting and provide verifiable evidence before publishing allegations linking Pakistan to the fighting.