From checkpoints to ‘Jihad taxes’: How TTP has turned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into a no-go zone for Pakistani Army

Pakistan’s security establishment is facing one of its biggest internal crises in years as vast areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) slip from state control into the hands of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its allied militant factions. According to top intelligence sources cited by CNN-News18, the insurgent network has effectively overrun large parts of the tribal belt along the Durand Line, transforming them into no-go zones for the Pakistan Army.

The affected regions include the volatile districts adjoining Khyber, Kurram, North and South Waziristan, and Bajaur, where the Taliban-aligned groups have consolidated their control. Sources told CNN-News18 that TTP fighters now openly man checkpoints on several key routes such as the Peshawar–Khyber Road, the Hangu–Kurram corridor, and the Bannu–Dera Ismail Khan stretch leading toward Waziristan. Eyewitness accounts from locals describe militants stopping vehicles, inspecting ID cards, and forcibly collecting funds in the name of “jihad.”

In a brazen show of dominance, the TTP’s media wing has circulated videos showing its fighters patrolling highways and interacting with civilians. Intelligence officials quoted by CNN-News18 called it “a symbolic and operational challenge to state authority,” underscoring the erosion of Pakistan’s control in its own frontier provinces.

TTP moves closer to Peshawar

Officials believe the TTP’s latest strategy is to push its influence from rural tribal zones toward the urban fringes of Peshawar. The group is said to be entrenched in Badaber, Mattani, and Bara Road corridors — areas previously guarded by the Frontier Corps and local police. According to the sources, these localities have now turned into “semi-permanent logistical and extortion bases,” where militants move recruits, collect protection money, and store arms within striking distance of the provincial capital.

State paralysis and troop fatigue

The Pakistan Army’s response, according to intelligence reports seen by CNN-News18, has been increasingly defensive. Several Punjabi-origin troops have reportedly refused frontline deployment in tribal settlements due to mounting casualties and the local population’s sympathy for the TTP. This has forced the Army to adopt a containment approach rather than launch decisive counter-operations.

A mirror of Afghanistan’s collapse

Security officials who spoke to CNN-News18 drew stark parallels between Pakistan’s current predicament and the Taliban’s gradual takeover of Afghanistan before 2021. “The pattern is almost identical -- slow rural control followed by infiltration into urban arteries,” one senior intelligence source said.

The unchecked rise of the TTP, complete with checkpoints, propaganda pamphlets, and fundraising drives, has blurred the line between rebellion and governance. Analysts warn that unless Islamabad regains control soon, Pakistan risks witnessing a Taliban-style collapse, this time within its own borders.