Kunar: ISIS-K militants reportedly attacked an unidentified Taliban position in the province. Eye witnesses said that 1 Taliban fighter was killed in the exchange of fire.

A THREAT OF A TTP INCURSION INTO KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA IS CIRCULATING – At this point, the threat is mainly rumor but seems logical considering recent statements made by officials in both Islamabad and Kabul. Estimates vary substantially over how many armed TTP fighters remain in Afghanistan. Early estimates (April 2022) put the figure at 5,000 while more recent estimates suggest it may be closer to 2,000. The tension along the border has been running high and Pakistan’s security forces are on high alert. Any incursion by the TTP in sizable numbers is likely to invite violence on a scale that has not been witnessed on this border since the Taliban took power in Kabul. Non-combatants could easily be caught up in the fighting. At-risk Afghans should avoid the border region if at all possible for the time being. If reports arrive that an action is underway, we will issue an ALERT message with as much information as we can gather. Otherwise, we are hoping this is only a rumor and doesn’t come to pass.