Pakistan summons Afghan envoy over attack in northwest, lodges protest

Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with Afghan authorities following a deadly attack in the country’s northwest that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, officials said.

The attack involved a vehicle-borne suicide bombing followed by a fire raid targeting a joint post of Pakistan’s military and law enforcement agencies, the government said. Authorities attributed the assault to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK), also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The assault took place late Monday when militants targeted a joint post of security forces and law enforcement agencies in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, according to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations.

The military said troops repelled the assault and killed 12 militants during an exchange of fire as the attackers attempted to flee.

According to the Foreign Office, the Afghan deputy head of mission was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed a formal demarche over the incident. Islamabad conveyed what it described as grave concern over the continued use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Pakistan condemned the attack and said the leadership of FAK/TTP is allegedly based in Afghanistan and continues to operate from Afghan territory.

During the meeting, Pakistani officials reiterated that despite repeated assurances from Afghan Taliban authorities, there have been no visible or concrete actions taken against the group.

Islamabad called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terrorist organizations operating from its soil, including their leadership.

The Foreign Office also conveyed that Pakistan reserves the right to respond and eliminate members of the FAK group and their affiliates wherever they may be located to ensure the safety of its soldiers, civilians and territorial integrity.

Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks in recent years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, particularly in former tribal districts along the Afghan border.

Islamabad has said the TTP operates from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, a claim rejected by Afghan authorities, who say they do not allow their territory to be used for attacks on other countries.