Afghan Taliban Orders TTP Commanders to Relocate Out of Kabul — RFE/RL Sources Confirm; Afghan Taliban Officially Denies

May 8, 2026 (Day 72 of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq): Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that the Afghan Taliban leadership has ordered Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP / Fitna al-Khawarij) commanders — including mid-to-high-ranking figures — to relocate from their residences in Kabul to a location south of the Afghan capital, still within Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Two anonymous TTP members confirmed the order to RFE/RL. The order is the most concrete Taliban action visible to outside observers in response to Pakistan's demands at the April 1-7 Urumqi trilateral talks, where Islamabad and Beijing directly pressed Afghanistan over its 'hospitality' to foreign militant groups. Pakistan's three core Urumqi demands included: (1) Afghanistan formally designate TTP a terrorist organization, (2) dismantle TTP infrastructure, and (3) provide verifiable proof of compliance. The relocation generated significant resentment within TTP ranks, with some commanders viewing it as a politically-driven liability rather than a genuine security or operational decision. Some TTP commanders had already departed Kabul by the time of RFE/RL's reporting on May 8; others were still preparing to move. However, the Afghan Taliban officially denied the relocation order. A senior Taliban official called the reports 'baseless' and characterized them as 'Pakistan's mind games,' stating: 'They want to kill two birds with one stone — trying to say that we accept that the TTP is here in Afghanistan.' The denial is consistent with the Taliban's long-standing public posture of rejecting any acknowledgment of TTP's operational presence on Afghan soil. Analysts note that relocating TTP commanders from Kabul to another Afghan location — even if confirmed — does not constitute expulsion, disarmament, or satisfaction of any of Pakistan's three Urumqi conditions. Pakistan has not publicly acknowledged the reported relocation or commented on whether it constitutes meaningful progress. The conflict remains active, no formal ceasefire has been signed, and no Urumqi Round 2 date has been set.