US urges Taliban to prevent use of Afghan soil for terrorist attacks

Following the recent terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the United States has urged Taliban to ensure terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil.

During his press briefing on Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about Washington’s response to a terrorist attack in which seven people, including two security forces personnel and five civilians, including children, were martyred in Dera Ismail Khan.

“I’ll first say that, of course, the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists and terrorists. We have a shared interest with the Pakistani people and the Government of Pakistan in combating threats to regional security,” Miller replied.

“We do continue to urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from the – from Afghan soil. That has been a priority for us in engagements with them, and it continues to be.”

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, with Centre for Research and Security Studies reporting that the country during the second quarter of 2024 witnessed 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries.

Security forces foil terrorist attack on Bannu Cantt

On Tuesday, five civilians and two soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack on a health centre in Dera Ismail Khan District, the Inter-Services Public Relations Pakistan (ISPR) said.

The ISPR said the security forces effectively engaged with the attackers and three terrorists were eliminated.

The ISPR further said sanitisation was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area.

Moreover, the ISPR said that on Monday morning, at least eight Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom after an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate the cantonment area in Bannu was foiled by security forces.

“The attempt to enter the cantonment was effectively thwarted by the security forces personnel, which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into perimeter wall of the cantonment,” the statement added.

It added that the suicide blast led to collapse of portion of the wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in death of the eight soldiers.

The military’s media wing said the “heinous act of terrorism has been undertaken by Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates from Afghanistan and has used Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan in the past as well”.

ISPR says security forces killed 29 terrorists in April

“Pakistan has consistently raised its concerns with Interim Afghan Government, asking them to deny persistent use of Afghan soil by the terrorists and take effective action against such elements,” the ISPR said.