KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the deputy head of the Taliban’s embassy in Islamabad to protest a deadly suicide attack in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that killed at least 11 security personnel.
The attack on Monday targeted a Pakistani military post near the Afghanistan border and also killed a child, injuring several people, including women and children. Pakistan attributes the assault to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership it says operates from Afghan territory.
According to Radio Pakistan, citing foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, the ministry delivered a “strong demarche” to the Taliban diplomat, expressing Pakistan’s deep concern over the continued operations of TTP from Afghan soil.
The ministry urged the Taliban authorities to take “immediate, concrete and verifiable” action against all armed groups operating from Afghan soil, including their leadership, and to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to stage attacks against Pakistan.
“The ministry said Pakistan has received multiple assurances from the Afghan Taliban, but no significant or tangible actions have been taken to curb these activities,” Andrabi said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned earlier this week that Pakistan would not hesitate to conduct further strikes in Afghanistan if the Taliban failed to act against militant groups threatening Pakistan’s security. “Pakistan won’t hesitate to conduct new strikes on Afghanistan, unless someone in Kabul can underwrite peace,” Asif told France 24.
Militant violence in Pakistan has surged since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with groups such as the TTP increasing attacks on security forces. The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies recorded 699 terrorist attacks in 2025, a 34% rise from the previous year, resulting in at least 1,034 deaths and 1,366 injuries.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP and affiliates, enabling cross-border attacks. The Taliban denies the allegations, asserting that no militant groups operate from Afghan territory and that Pakistan’s internal security is its own responsibility.
