ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad to protest today’s suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that left at least 23 soldiers dead.
The multiple suicide bombers targeted a Pakistani military base, with at least 23 soldiers martyred after militants drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of the security check post, a strike claimed by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP). The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan is a terrorist group affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is based in Afghanistan and enjoys the support of the Afghan Taliban.
Following the incident, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad to deliver a strong demarche. Qazi urged the Afghan interim government to conduct a comprehensive investigation and take decisive action against the perpetrators.
The foreign secretary emphasized the need for Afghanistan to publicly condemn the terrorist incident, take verifiable actions against all terrorist groups and their leadership, and apprehend and hand over the attackers and TTP leadership in Afghanistan to Pakistan. Pakistan also called on Afghanistan to prevent the persistent use of its soil for terrorism and cross border attacks against Pakistan.
The Foreign Office stated that the attack underscores the ongoing terrorist threat to regional peace and stability.
The recent surge in militant attacks, especially along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, has heightened concerns. The first half of 2023 witnessed an almost 80% increase in attacks compared to the previous year. While Pakistan attributed these attacks to groups operating from sanctuaries across the border, the Taliban government in Afghanistan consistently denies these allegations.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan posed a significant threat to Pakistan and shares ideological similarities with the current rulers in Kabul. Earlier in the year, the TTP had carried out a deadly suicide bombing in Peshawar Police Line Masjid that left more than 80 police officers martyred.
