At least seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack at a security forces compound in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border, police said, according to reports.
The bombing near the Afghan border comes just days after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire following days of cross-border fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds on both sides. The ceasefire, which began on Wednesday and will expire on Friday evening.
How did the bombing happen?
The attack took place in Mir Ali, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Irfan Ali said. According to him, the impact of the bombing damaged nearby houses.
Local media reported that Qatar had offered to host peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha, although neither government had confirmed the offer.
According to the AP, Pakistan has seen an increase in attacks since January, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul are strained as Pakistan says the group is holed up in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani military has carried out several operations against militants in the region this week, killing 88 militants in the region, according to security officials and police.
What happened between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated after Pakistan reportedly carried out airstrikes on Kabul on Thursday. Clashes between the two sides followed.
This week’s clashes between the two countries were the deadliest since 2021, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after the fall of a Western-backed government as US and NATO forces withdrew after 20 years of war.
Tensions on the border have remained high since last week, when Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out a strike in the Afghan capital, a claim denied by Pakistan’s government and military. However, Pakistani security officials said the attack was aimed at targeting Noor Wali, the TTP chief.
The Pakistani Taliban shared a video on Thursday claiming Wali is alive and hiding somewhere in northwest Pakistan.
Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reported on the X social network on Wednesday that a ceasefire had been “established” between the two countries after 5:30 pm (1300 GMT) this evening.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has also ordered the military to respect the ceasefire. “The Islamic Emirate also orders all its forces to respect this ceasefire,” Mujahid said.
