ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has summoned the Afghan mission in Islamabad and issued a strong demarche to the Afghan Taliban authorities following a deadly terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district that killed 11 Pakistan Army soldiers.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the February 16 vehicle-borne suicide bombing and subsequent assault on a joint checkpost of security forces and law enforcement agencies in Bajaur. The attack was claimed to have been carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also referred to by officials as Fitna al Khwarij.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces killed at least 12 terrorists described as belonging to an India-backed proxy group during the operation. However, 11 security personnel were martyred in the attack.
The Foreign Office expressed serious concern that the TTP leadership continues to operate from Afghan territory. It said Pakistan has repeatedly received assurances from the Afghan Taliban but has yet to see concrete or visible action against the group.
The Afghan authorities were urged to take immediate, verifiable steps against all terrorist organisations using Afghan soil, including dismantling their leadership and infrastructure.
The statement also stressed that Pakistan reserves the right to respond against TTP elements and their affiliates wherever they may be found to safeguard its citizens, armed forces and territorial integrity.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Border provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have experienced the brunt of the violence.
Earlier this year, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said law enforcement agencies carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations nationwide in 2025. He stated that 14,658 operations were conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan and 1,739 in other parts of the country.
He also reported that 5,397 terrorism incidents occurred nationwide last year, with 3,811 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,557 in Balochistan and 29 elsewhere. Security forces killed 2,597 militants in counterterrorism operations, while several major attacks targeted civilians and soft targets.