In a devastating assault in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border, at least 23 Pakistan Army personnel lost their lives while numerous others sustained injuries. The terrorist attack occurred in the early hours yesterday, as militants orchestrated a violent onslaught targeting the Pakistan Army base camp in Dera Ismail Khan.
The assailants’ tactics involved a vehicle laden with explosives ramming into the compound, triggering chaos and destruction. Prior to this, the militants attempted to breach the compound but were thwarted, prompting the subsequent vehicular assault.
Following the vehicle’s impact on the compound’s boundary wall, a harrowing suicide bomb attack ensued, resulting in the collapse of the building. The incident claimed the lives of numerous individuals who were asleep at the time. It is reported that there was an explosion of ammunition stored within the compound.
Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), the militant faction affiliated with the TTP has claimed responsibility for this audacious terrorist attack. Subsequent military operations in the area led to the elimination of six attackers, with a total of 27 militants reported killed.
Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul-Haq Kakar and caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti vehemently condemned the assault. Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Syrus Sajjad Qazi, called on the envoy of to promptly communicate to the Taliban government in Afghanistan, emphasizing the necessity for a thorough investigation and decisive measures concerning the issue. Since past year the attacks orchestrated by the newly emerged militant group Tahreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) have significantly increased.
This falls in line with withdrawal of the hard-line Islamist militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from a ceasefire last year. Notably, Islamabad has consistently alleged that insurgents operate from regions across the Afghan border, a claim staunchly denied by the Afghan Taliban. This grim incident adds to the series of violent episodes, including the attack on Mianwali airbase last month and January bombing at a mosque in Peshawar that claimed the lives of at least 100 people. Despite initial denial by the TTP, attributions were made to a commander of a breakaway faction.