Pakistan demands Afghanistan hand over terrorists involved in deadly DI Khan attack

• Top Afghan diplomat handed strong demarche.
• Foreign Office demands Afghan condemnation.
• 23 soldiers were martyred in DI Khan attack.

The Foreign Office (FO) Tuesday demanded Afghanistan’s interim government investigate the deadly suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan that martyred more than 20 soldiers.

At least 23 soldiers embraced martyrdom when militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani military base, the army said, in an attack claimed by affiliates of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The suicide squad of six terrorists — all of whom were killed later — attacked the outpost in the DI Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province — near the Afghan border — in the early hours of Tuesday, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

In response, Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche.

“The attack[‘s] responsibility has been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a terrorist group affiliated with the TTP,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The statement mentioned that the envoy was asked to immediately convey to the Afghan interim government to fully investigate and take stern action against the perpetrators of the recent attack.

Qazi demanded that the Afghan government, while publicly condemning the terrorist incident at the highest level, take immediate verifiable actions against all terrorist groups — including their leadership — and their sanctuaries.

The foreign secretary further said the neighbouring nation should apprehend and hand over the perpetrators of the attack and the TTP leadership in Afghanistan to the Pakistani government.

“[They] should also take all necessary measures to deny the persistent use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan,” the statement mentioned.

The Foreign Office also said that the terrorist attack is yet another reminder of the terrorist threat to peace and stability in the region.

“We must act resolutely with all our collective might to defeat this menace. On its part, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to combat terrorism.”

The army’s media wing said Dera Ismail Khan had "witnessed heightened activities" overnight and a total of 27 militants were killed in firefights with troops in the area.

Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic spike in militant attacks, mainly in its border regions with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021.

The first half of 2023 saw a nearly 80% spike in attacks compared to last year, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

Islamabad has time and again stated that hostile groups operate from "sanctuaries" across the border, however, the Taliban government routinely denies the charges.

The biggest threat to Pakistan is the TTP, which shares lineage and ideology with Kabul’s rulers.

In January, the TTP was linked to a mosque bombing that martyred more than 80 police officers inside a headquarters in Peshawar, the capital of KP.