Pakistani Taliban Sources Say Viral Video Shows Zakhakhel Tribal Lashkar, Not TTP

October 3, 2026 | Owais Shinwari — WAR MONITOR Correspondent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A video circulating on social media has been presented by some accounts as showing Pakistan Army vehicles passing through a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) checkpoint in Khyber, with accompanying claims that the footage demonstrates cooperation between the military and the outlawed group.

However, sources linked to the Pakistani Taliban dispute that description, saying the armed men visible in the footage are members of the Zakhakhel tribal lashkar, not TTP fighters. According to these sources, the location is within a Zakhakhel area where local armed groups have previously operated against militants.

Historical reporting confirms that Zakhakhel tribal militias have operated in Khyber and have fought militant organisations in the region. Reports dating back to 2011–17 documented clashes involving Zakhakhel armed groups and Lashkar-e-Islam, while other reporting has documented a militant presence in parts of Zakhakhel and the wider Tirah Valley.

WAR MONITOR has not independently geolocated the current footage or established the affiliation of the armed men shown in it. The social-media allegation of TTP–Pakistan Army cooperation therefore should not be treated as established on the basis of this video alone.

Independent verification is pending.

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