Secret network of TTP-ISIS-K in Bangladesh Air Force! Warning from Peshawar!

Special Correspondent

Dhaka, 20 May 2026 – A veteran journalist’s report from Peshawar, Pakistan, has raised new concerns about the security landscape in South Asia. Serious allegations have recently been made that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has tried to establish a network within the Bangladesh Air Force. This has also been linked to the possibility of a militant network of ISIS-K.

Jawad Yousafzai, a renowned freelance journalist based in Peshawar, claimed in information published on his X handle that the TTP became active in early 2026 with the aim of recruiting members of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAAF). He said that air bases located near the eastern border of India were targeted.

 

According to recent sources, raids were conducted at multiple air bases, including Chittagong and Jessore. So far, more than 10 airmen have been detained for questioning, including two warrant officers.

 

Allegations of recruitment and information smuggling through Imam

The most worrying finding in Jawad Yousafzai’s report is that an imam, who is associated with the air base, allegedly acted as a middleman for the TTP. He tried to recruit devout airmen to join the TTP through financial inducements and ideological propaganda.

Investigators claim that some members are suspected of passing highly sensitive information related to radar systems and fighter jet operations to the TTP. After news of the investigation became public, 10 to 12 suspects fled the country.

 

This incident has raised serious security concerns in the border regions of India – Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal.

 

TTP’s denial and authorities’ warning

The TTP has so far denied any presence in Bangladesh or any contact with the air force. However, Bangladeshi authorities have imposed heightened security at “highly sensitive” sites, including the national parliament, military bases and important religious sites.

 

Historical context and regional connections

The experience of fighters returning to South Asia after the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s and the rise of HuJI-B in the 1990s laid the foundation for militant networks in the region. Although many of the networks have since been weakened, analysts believe that some remnants of them are still active.

Jawad Yousafzai said that around 100 Bangladeshis are currently associated with the TTP in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region. Efforts are being made to recruit youth by exploiting the Rohingya crisis. Several Rohingyas have been detained on suspicion of being associated with the TTP, although the Rohingya community has denied the allegations.

 

Several Bangladeshis, including Ratan Dhali (a Hindu youth), Faisal Hossain, Ahmed Zubair and Zubair Ahmed, from Gopalganj, were killed in clashes with the TTP in 2025. 36 Bangladeshis have also been arrested in Malaysia for extremist links.

ISIS-K’s ideological shadow in the Air Force

Analysts believe that while the Taliban’s influence in Bangladesh is largely symbolic, the ideological influence of ISIS-K is more active in online radicalized groups. The TTP has recently started campaigning in Bengali. ISIS-K is conducting international attacks from Afghanistan and is also campaigning in Bengali through digital channels.

 

Depth of future anxiety

Analysts say Bangladesh is not yet a major hub for global terrorism, but its refugee population, weak border controls, and the widespread use of digital platforms and encrypted messaging could gradually turn it into a recruitment hub and transit route.

 

These events pose a major challenge to regional security in South Asia. Strengthening intelligence cooperation, monitoring online radicalization, and adopting balanced policies to protect social stability are the demands of the hour.

 

(Source: Jawad Yousafzai’s report and relevant international security sources)