ISLAMABAD: A former CIA counterintelligence operative has claimed that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is now working directly with Al-Qaeda, raising alarms about regional militancy.
Speaking to The Wire Pakistan, the ex-CIA officer said the BLA, long viewed as an Indian proxy, has integrated operationally with Al-Qaeda networks. She alleged the group is receiving training abroad following U.S. sanctions.
She also warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has expanded significantly in Afghanistan under Taliban protection. According to her, the Taliban have permitted the TTP to run more than 40 training camps, providing weapons, funding, and safe haven. The group now fields an estimated 15,000 fighters, including foreign militants from Yemen and Central Asia, making it “a legion, not a local insurgency.”
“The TTP is not what people think,” she said. “It is bigger, international, and officially part of Al-Qaeda’s structure.” She added that TTP deputy military chief Muzaffar Muzahim has joined Al-Qaeda’s senior shura.
The operative sharply criticized U.S. policy since the 2020 Doha deal, calling Washington’s partnership with the Taliban “a catastrophe.” She alleged U.S. funds — including counterterrorism budgets, humanitarian aid, and frozen Afghan reserves — deliver “over $100 million a week” into Taliban-controlled systems, some of which filter to the TTP.
She dismissed U.S. intelligence claims that the Taliban killed Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) leaders, calling Taliban reporting “fabricated.”
On Taliban leadership, she rejected narratives of internal divisions, saying Haibatullah Akhundzada maintains full authority with Sirajuddin Haqqani, and both remain deeply tied to Al-Qaeda.
She warned that Al-Qaeda, led by Saif al-Adl and Hamza bin Laden, now coordinates a wider “Islamic Army” across Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Somalia.
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“There is no peace deal possible with the TTP anymore,” she said. “They are stronger than ever and committed to toppling Pakistan’s military leadership.”
