Pakistani authorities reported a suicide truck bomb and gun attack on a regional army base near the Afghan border on March 16. The attack resulted in the death of at least seven soldiers, including two officers, and left more than 17 soldiers injured. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the raid, labelling it an act of terrorism. In response, the army initiated a sanitization operation to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area.
The raid took place in the early morning in the volatile North Waziristan border district. This area is known for frequent attacks on security forces by militants associated with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to a military statement, a group of six militants, which included suicide bombers, attacked the base in the town of Mir Ali. The militants used an explosive-laden vehicle to ram into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombings. This led to the collapse of a portion of a building. Pakistani troops swiftly engaged and eliminated all the assailants in an intense exchange of fire. A militant group allied with TTP is reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistani military and government officials assert that TTP and its allies utilize Afghan sanctuaries to orchestrate cross-border attacks on security forces and civilians. Since the Taliban regained power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan witnessed a significant surge in TTP-led militant attacks. The violence claimed the lives of approximately 2,000 Pakistani citizens, including police and military personnel.
Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, expressed concerns over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan during a U.N. Security Council meeting on March 6. She highlighted that these concerns are not only limited to Daesh, an acronym for the Islamic State but also include TTP, which was a major concern for Pakistan due to an increase in terrorist activity.
Daesh, an Afghanistan-based regional IS affiliate, is known to conduct terrorist attacks on both sides of the extensive border between the two countries.
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