KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani authorities said on Friday they have arrested four members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in connection with a suicide bombing outside a district court in Islamabad earlier this week that killed 12 people and injured 36.
The attack took place on Tuesday in the G-11 sector of the capital. The suicide bomber detonated explosives near a police vehicle after failing to enter the court premises, causing casualties among police officers and civilians.
According to a government statement posted on X, Sajidullah, identified as the handler of the bomber, confessed that TTP commander Saeedur Rehman, based in Afghanistan, directed the operation via the Telegram messaging app. Sajidullah reportedly received photos of the attacker, identified as Usman alias Qari, and transported a suicide vest from Peshawar to Islamabad under Rehman’s instructions. The statement said the bomber was an Afghan national from the Shinwari tribe and a resident of Achin district in Nangarhar province.
“The network was handled and guided at every step by the Fitna al-Khawarij/TTP high command based in Afghanistan. The entire cell involved in the incident, including its commander and three other members, has been arrested,” the statement said, adding that investigations are ongoing, and further arrests are expected.
A day before the Islamabad attack, militants targeted Wana Military College in South Waziristan, killing at least three people. Pakistani officials, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, claimed both attacks were planned from across the Afghanistan border and carried out by Afghan nationals. The Taliban authorities have not responded to Pakistan’s allegations but condemned the attacks.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since the late 2000s. The group has stepped up assaults on security forces and law enforcement since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP fighters and India of backing cross-border attacks, claims both Kabul and New Delhi deny. Tensions escalated after Pakistan conducted airstrikes on October 11 targeting alleged TTP-linked sites in Afghanistan. A ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey on October 19 halted hostilities, but subsequent talks in Istanbul collapsed, with Pakistan insisting on “verifiable” action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
