Extremist groups pledge allegiance to Taliban, expanding group’s influence globally

Sources close to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada report that extremist Sunni groups, including Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram, have pledged allegiance to the Taliban, signaling the group’s growing influence on the global jihadist stage.

This alliance now spans from South Asia to North Africa. Al-Qaeda, under its new leader Saif al-Adl, renewed its allegiance following Ayman al-Zawahiri’s death in Kabul. Other factions, such as Al-Qaeda branches in Yemen, North Africa, and Libya’s Ansar al-Sharia, have also pledged support.

In Pakistan, groups like the Pakistani Taliban reaffirmed their loyalty to the Taliban, while others, like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, shifted allegiance to ISIS-Khorasan, cutting ties with the Taliban. Experts warn that this alliance complicates the global counterterrorism landscape and poses significant risks to regional and international security.