A suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle Tuesday, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, police and government officials said. The attack happened in Shangla, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, local police chief Bakhat Zahir said. He added that the five killed were construction workers and engineers … Read more
On March 11, Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul, Ubaid ur Rehman Nizamani, traveled to Kandahar for a meeting with Governor Mullah Ali Hanafi (also known as Muhammad Shirin Akhund). The meeting ended amicably, with Hanafi congratulating the Pakistani envoy over the holding of elections. This was the first statement by any Taliban leader on … Read more
In reviewing the Taliban government’s security achievements in 2023 on December 31, Afghanistan’s acting Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said that any attacks that did occur were “all carried out by foreigners, especially the citizens of Tajikistan.” “Dozens of Tajikistan citizens have been killed in our operations and dozens of others have been arrested. Also, … Read more
The recent attack on a bus on the Karakoram Highway has raised concerns about the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) routes. The attack resulted in the tragic loss of at least nine people, prompting Pakistan to label it as an “act of terrorism.” Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar denounced the incident and … Read more
Advertisement In the first nine months of 2023, Pakistani security forces suffered their highest terrorism-related casualties in eight years. As many as 386 security personnel lost their lives, of which 137 were from the military and 208 from police. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, militant violence in Pakistan has surged by 73 percent. After … Read more
Advertisement Prior to the Taliban’s military conquest of Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan had supported the group for years, providing both resources and safe havens. The Taliban’s rise in Afghanistan was initially seen favorably by Pakistan’s government and strategists, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan openly endorsing it. However, after two years of the Taliban’s … Read more
Advertisement An Afghan branch of the Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban party’s election rally, in one of the region’s worst attacks in recent years. Islamic State in Khorasan Province claimed in a statement posted on its Amaq website. … Read more
Flashpoints | Security | South Asia Ten people were killed in two separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a traditional stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. Advertisement A suicide car bomber targeted a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing two soldiers, a policeman, and a civilian, the military and security officials said. It was the second militant attack to … Read more