3.3. Main geographical control and operational presence of armed groups

In KP, the militant landscape is dominated by TTP and affiliated factions, HGB, local Taliban groups, and Lashkar-e Islam (LeI), with factions linked to TTP now present in nearly all of the province’s districts.479 HGB maintains a particularly strong presence in North Waziristan480 while also operating in South Waziristan and adjoining areas of KP. In 2025, the group extended its influence into Khyber district through an alliance with LeI.481 ISKP maintains a presence in Pakistan,482 where it has major footholds in KP’s Bajaur district and Balochistan.483 While the southern and southwestern districts of Balochistan have been the traditional hotbeds of the Baloch insurgency, Baloch militants have increasingly extended their operations into central Balochistan districts such as Bolan, Kalat, Harnai, and Kachhi.484