Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has summoned representatives of the Afghan mission and issued a formal demarche to the Afghan Taliban authorities following a deadly terrorist assault in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur District that martyred 11 soldiers.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the vehicle-borne suicide bombing and subsequent armed assault on military and law enforcement posts. The attack was attributed to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also referred to by officials as Fitna al Khwarij.
The February 16 attack targeted a joint security checkpost. According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, at least 12 militants with links to an India-backed proxy network were killed during the exchange of fire. Eleven security personnel embraced martyrdom while defending the post.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office voiced serious concern over the continued presence and operational freedom of TTP leadership allegedly based on Afghan territory. Despite repeated assurances from the Afghan Taliban, Islamabad stated that no effective measures have been taken to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from across the border.
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Authorities urged Afghan officials to take immediate and verifiable action against all militant groups using their soil, including dismantling their leadership structures. Pakistan also reiterated that it reserves the right to take necessary steps to neutralize threats to its armed forces, civilians, and territorial integrity.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Pakistan has experienced a surge in cross-border attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
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Earlier, ISPR Director General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that security forces carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations nationwide in 2025. Of these, 14,658 were conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 58,778 in Balochistan. He stated that 5,397 militants were eliminated during the year, adding that Afghan-based elements were involved in several major attacks targeting civilians and soft targets across Pakistan.
