KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Following the recent deadly attack in Pakistan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the Taliban to take “concrete and effective” action against terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan.
During a press briefing on Friday, July 19, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Pakistan has expressed its concerns to the Taliban regarding the use of Afghan territory for terrorism against Pakistan.
She also mentioned that Pakistan has shared intelligence with the Taliban about terrorist groups and has maintained continuous communication with Taliban authorities.
“Despite Pakistan’s repeated calls for action, the presence of TTP and other terror groups in Afghanistan continues to pose a serious threat to regional peace and security,” Baloch said. “We urge Afghanistan to take effective action against these groups and to ensure that the Afghan territory is not used for terrorism against Pakistan,” she added.
“Pakistan remains committed to combating terrorism and ensuring the security of its people,” she emphasized.
At least eight Pakistani security personnel were killed on Monday, July 15, in an attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where militants attempted to enter a military base, Bannu Cantonment, with an explosive-laden vehicle.
The Pakistan Army attributed the incident to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a militant group affiliated with TTP, claiming that the group is based in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has conveyed to the Afghan authorities its serious concern on the terrorist attack at Bannu Cantonment on 15 July 2024 and the continued use of Afghan territory by Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out deadly attacks in Pakistan with impunity,” the spokesperson of the Pakistan foreign ministry said.
“We strongly urge the Interim Afghan Government to take immediate, robust and effective action against the perpetrators of the 15 July attack and to prevent such attacks in the future,” she added.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist attacks, with militant groups such as the TTP and its affiliates increasing their violence against the country’s security forces and civilians.
Pakistan claims that leaders and members of the militant groups are hiding in Afghanistan, where they receive training and advanced military equipment to launch cross-border attacks. The country has repeatedly called on the Taliban to take decisive action against the militant groups and surrender them to Islamabad.
The Taliban authorities, however, have consistently brushed away allegations of their ties to the TTP. The group’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, once responded to allegations from Islamabad, saying that they do not bear responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security concerns.
