Pakistan’s foreign ministry Wednesday summoned the Taliban’s deputy head of mission and urged the latter’s administration to take action against Afghanistan-based militant groups that Islamabad says attacked a military base this week.
Militants attacked the base in Bannu in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, ramming a vehicle loaded with explosives into the perimeter wall and killing eight Pakistani security force members.
The attack was claimed by a militant faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, which Pakistan’s military said operates out of neighboring Afghanistan.
Security forces foil terrorist attack on Bannu Cantt
Islamabad says it has consistently taken up the issue of rising cross-border attacks with the Taliban administration, raising tensions between the neighbours whose security forces have clashed at the border in recent years.
The Taliban, whose spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has previously denied allowing the use of Afghan territory by militants.
“Pakistan reiterated its serious concerns over the presence of terror outfits inside Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
Bannu terror attack: CM Balochistan praises security forces
It urged Taliban authorities to “fully investigate and take immediate, robust and effective action against the perpetrators of the Bannu attack and to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.”
Pakistan in March carried out intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan in response to multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan which caused the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials.
Pakistan carries out anti-terrorist operations inside Afghanistan, confirms FO
“The prime target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which – along with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
“The latest attack took place on 16 March 2024 at a security post in Mir Ali in North Waziristan and claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers,” the FO statement read.